Volodymyr Zelensky fought for Ukraine’s security guarantees so fiercely last night, it was as if he’d been invited to sign a surrender to Russia, not a mineral deal with the US. It was neither the time nor the place to take on Donald Trump and JD Vance for parroting Kremlin talking points – a fact Zelensky seemed to acknowledge later on Fox News. Looking visibly distressed, he admitted such matters should be handled behind closed doors. There was regret, but no apology to Trump’s camp. ‘I respect President Trump and the American people, but I’m not sure we’ve done something bad. We must be open and honest’, Zelensky said.
The meeting in the Oval Office turned into disaster because Zelensky couldn’t bite his tongue when he should have, and because he and Trump have fundamentally different visions for how Russia’s war in Ukraine should end. Zelensky insists on receiving security guarantees to achieve lasting peace, while Trump backs quick ceasefire with security discussed afterwards.
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