What possessed the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, to go toe-to-toe with Donald Trump in a verbal wresting match in the White House? It makes almost no sense as a diplomatic strategy. It is well documented that the US president, notoriously thin-skinned and egotistical, likes to be showered with compliments and treated as an all-knowing, all-seeing master of the political universe. All that Zelensky was required to do was behave in a simpering manner while the cameras were rolling, before moving on to the substantive negotiations behind the scenes.
Indeed, only 24 hours earlier, Sir Keir Starmer provided a useful primer on how to go about pandering to Trump in order to get what you want. It’s dirty work, but that’s what leaders have to do. Yet, in an act of pique, Zelensky decided to tackle Trump head-on. It was something of an unequal fight in every way. English is not the Ukrainian leader’s first language (some might say the same about Trump) so he was on the back foot from the start, and Trump doesn’t let anyone get a word in edgeways when he is in full flow.
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