If there was any indication that the Ukrainian President was not going to be ambushed again in the White House, it came when a member of the White House press corps who had mocked Volodymyr Zelenskyy back in February for his choice of outfit now said, “You look fabulous in that suit.” Zelenskyy’s retort — “I changed, you did not” — was met with laughter across the Oval Office, including from US President Donald Trump. That exchange reflected the overall tone of the summit in Washington between Trump, Zelenskyy and seven European leaders who had accompanied the Ukrainian President to ensure that Russia, after the Alaska summit, would not get away with a peace deal detrimental to Ukraine and Europe. A mounting challenge for some of the most powerful heads of state this year has been learning how to deal with the most powerful man in the world.
There are three key takeaways from the White House summit. The first is the lack of consensus over a ceasefire. While the Europeans pressed for one, Trump backed away, despite his own calls for a halt to the fighting before he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska less than a week ago. The US President is now pushing for a peace deal that skips the intermediary step of a temporary truce, a position that mirrors the Kremlin’s stance so far. Notably, after Alaska, Trump had told European leaders he now supported a plan under which Ukraine, in what would amount to sacrificing sovereignty, would have to cede unconquered territory. The second takeaway is that plans were discussed in the White House for Europe to provide security assurances to Ukraine, with the US serving as a coordinator. That US security guarantees are back on the table will come as a relief for Ukraine. Finally, Trump announced on social media that he had begun “arrangements for a meeting” between Putin — whom he spoke to on phone during the summit — and Zelenskyy, to be followed by a trilateral. This is the closest the war has come to a breakthrough.
Still, it is difficult to imagine a deal that satisfies both Russia and Ukraine. Kyiv, however, has little choice but to accept what Trump offers. Just before the Washington summit, Trump remarked that Zelenskyy could “end the war with Russia almost immediately” — a return to his conciliatory stance towards Putin after weeks of threatening sanctions. The prospect of closer US-Russia ties, at least for the remainder of Trump’s term, remains troubling not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe. It is encouraging that Putin and Zelenskyy may finally sit in the same room to negotiate an end to the bloodshed, even as, reportedly, Ukraine and Russia exchanged fire shortly after the White House meeting.
