White House meeting.. Diplomacy of
smiles and the struggle of hidden contradictions
The meeting between US President Donald Trump, Vladimir Zelensky and European Union leaders at the White House on Monday witnessed an apparent friendly atmosphere, amid indications of differences between allies.
Media reports
including the Wall Street Journal
indicated that Zelensky changed his tone significantly compared to his previous meeting with Trump in February, where he was subjected to harsh criticism due to what the American side considered a "lack of gratitude".
According to Western media, this time Zelensky was keen to show his gratitude to Trump by thanking him more than 10 times during a few minutes of public talks.
CNN
reported that Zelensky said
- thank you" four times during the first ten seconds of the meeting
- while the Washington Post reported that he thanked
- Trump about 11 times within four and a half minutes.
However
the media noted some differences between the allies
with the British newspaper The Times explaining that
the meeting showed
"the first visible signs of continuing differences in approach".
The Economist
also noted that Trump and Zelensky publicly avoided difficult questions.
In the past
the media covered the shift in the appearance of Zelensky
who abandoned his military uniform and wore a formal suit
in a reference
interpreted as an attempt to present a softer diplomatic image.
On Monday
Trump received Zelensky and leaders of European Union countries at the White House, and did not rule out the possibility of holding a future tripartite meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin if the negotiations succeed.
In conjunction with the negotiations in Washington
- Ukraine launched attacks on Russian strategic targets
- while Russian media reported that air defenses shot down
- a Ukrainian attack drone that was heading to the Smolensk nuclear plant
and Russian
- security services reported
- thwarting an attempted
- bombing on the Crimean Bridge.
NATO
announces the formulation of security guarantees
for Ukraine with the participation of 30 countries
NATO
Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that a group of 30 countries, including Japan and Australia, are working on formulating security guarantees for Ukraine.
"Over the past few months
a group of 30 countries, including Japan and Australia, led by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron
have worked to develop a concept of security guarantee
Rutte said in an interview with Fox News.
Yesterday
- US President Donald Trump hosted Vladimir Zelensky
- and European Union leaders at the White House
- and the US President described the meeting as very fruitful.
Trump said he had begun arrangements to hold a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky at a location to be determined later.
Zelensky also
- announced that Ukraine does not demand a ceasefire as a precondition
- for holding any bilateral meeting with Russia and that
- he is ready to hold a bilateral meeting with President Putin.
The Wall Street Journal quoted European officials as saying that
Vladimir Zelensky did not reject the idea of a "land swap" either.