As part of the ongoing efforts to stop the crisis in Ukraine, Donald Trump visited a number of European leaders yesterday, drawing all eyes to the White House. On Friday of last week, the polarizing US president reportedly had a three-hour private meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Trump asserted after the summit that he and Putin had made โgreat progress,โ even though no terms for a ceasefire were ultimately agreed upon.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, had his opportunity to sit in the same room as Trump yesterday. Emmanuel Macron of France and Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom were among the peers from around Europe who joined Zelenskyy in the White House. Zelenskyy was an undisputed leader during the Russian invasion.
The group of European Union officials met with Trump at a round table to address various war-related issues. Some others worry that Trump is willing to give in too much to Putin in order to complete the deal he stated he could solve in a day (he made this assertion before he won the election).
As a result, yesterdayโs events were made more interesting by the attendance of several world leaders. It seems that their purpose was to stand firmly next to Zelenskyy. Remember, Ukraine has stated unequivocally that it does not wish to give up vast tracts of land to Russia; the terms Putin is currently offering are essentially irrational.
However, Trump, who has taken on the role of go-between, appears certain that a deal can still be achieved. President Trump tells Macron, โI think he (Putin) wants to make a deal for me.โ Not at all, Donald. Putin merely intends to utilize you as the helpful fool that you are.
โI think he wants to make a deal for me, as crazy as it sounds,โ Trump said on a hot mic shared by CBS News during his meeting with the European leaders at the White House yesterday. It is believed that โheโ is Putin.
In sharp contrast to Zelenskyyโs last visit to the White House, the summit yesterday also apparently went well. Following the meeting, Keir Starmer of the UK stated that โreal progressโ had been made. โThe European leaders present, as well as Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy, showed a genuine sense of unity,โ he remarked.
Additionally, he alluded to two possible outcomes from the meeting, one of which being a purported agreement between President Zelenskyy and President Putin.
After a phone conversation between President Trump and President Putin this afternoon, Starmer disclosed, โthe other material outcome was the agreement that there will now be a bilateral agreement between President Putin and President Zelenskyy, which follows a trilateral which will then add in President Trump.โ That is an acknowledgment of the idea that Ukraine must be at the table on some of these matters, whether they are related to territory, the exchange of prisoners, or the really important topic of the return of children.
โThese two results were the most significant ones that came out of today. There was a genuine sense of solidarity, and the results were positive. Today, weโve made significant progress.
