High-stakes Trump encounter yields Zelenskyy warmer White House reception – They started their meeting by saying thank you. A laugh and a handshake. It stayed friendly the whole time. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance yelled at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the last time he was in the Oval Office. This time, the attitude was very different. In the end, he was kicked out of the White House. Zelenskyy’s second encounter with Trump on August 18 was completely different from the first one in every way. Trump didn’t say he wouldn’t send U.S. troops to Ukraine to assist keep the peace after the war, but he also didn’t say he would. He also didn’t give Zelenskyy any ultimatums.
When a reporter asked Trump if not reaching a peace accord would be “the end of the road” for U.S. help for Ukraine, he said, “I can never say that, it’s never the end of the road.” People were unsure of Trump’s commitment to Ukraine after he welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Alaska on August 15. After their meeting, he repeated what the Russians had said in peace talks.
Trump backed off his warning to punish Putin severely if he didn’t agree to a truce. He added that a ceasefire wasn’t necessary to reach a peace accord, which is different from what Europe and Ukraine think. He informed Zelenskyy that he would have to give up Crimea. But Trump’s calm tone with Zelenskyy and openness to a big U.S. role in a post-war security deal were surprising following his friendly meeting with Putin. This made supporters of Ukraine feel better.
European leaders rushed to Washington, D.C. to meet with Trump after he made statements at the Alaska summit that made them worried. That led to a rather strange meeting at the White House. European leaders sat around a table in the East Room and tried to find a way to get a better deal for Ukraine in the three-year battle. They made it clear as they talked that they see Ukraine’s safety as part of their own. Mark Rutte, the Secretary-General of NATO, said at the leaders’ meeting, “The fact that you have said I am willing to participate in security guarantees is a big step.” “It’s a real breakthrough, and it changes everything.” High-stakes Trump encounter yields Zelenskyy warmer White House reception
Trump is open to giving Ukraine security guarantees.
Zelenskyy has stressed that any peace accord must include security guarantees. He dubbed it a “significant change” when Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff claimed over the weekend that the U.S. had gotten Russia to agree to let America protect Ukraine.
Witkoff added that the administration was thinking of a security agreement like NATO’s Article 5, which says that all members must respond if one member is attacked. Trump said that European countries are leading a coalition and that the U.S. could send soldiers to help. “We’ll be involved,” he said. He claimed that European countries would be the “first line of defense” in the possible deal. “We’re going to help them out too.” High-stakes Trump encounter yields Zelenskyy warmer White House reception
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine needs help from the U.S. to help its army, as well as weapons and intelligence, as part of a peace settlement with Russia that includes strong security assurances.
Trump keeps telling Zelenskyy to “exchange territory.” The night before the conference started, Trump said on social media that Ukraine wouldn’t be able to get Crimea back as part of any peace accord. Russia took Crimea in 2014. He also emphasized that joining NATO was not an option.
In the past several days, Trump has been pressuring Zelenskyy to give up land, which is what Putin wants and the Ukrainians have been against. Trump has said in the past that Russia should be able to keep Crimea. But it was interesting that he made his demands for Ukraine’s concessions public the day before the meeting with Zelenskyy. He said that Zelenskyy should terminate the war after weeks of talking about how hard it was for Putin to make peace. High-stakes Trump encounter yields Zelenskyy warmer White House reception
About the Author
