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Trump is working on a two-way meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
Alex Brandon/AP/dpa
Before the summit in Washington, Europe's heads of state and government feared a fiasco. However, with flattery, staging and a deal, they managed to keep Donald Trump happy - albeit without any guarantee of lasting results.
Before the summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, there was a great deal of nervousness in Europe. After the Alaska meeting with Vladimir Putin, Trump demonstratively toed the Russian line. Many European heads of government feared that Washington could now finally abandon Kiev.
Selensky was therefore all the more carefully prepared for his appearance, as "Politico" reports. European diplomats had advised him not to provoke Trump again with trivialities - as in February, when a discussion about his sweater caused the mood to change.
This time, the Ukrainian president appeared in black, wearing a more formal jacket. Trump's comment: "I love it. Look at that." The first test was passed.
Selensky used the kick-off meeting to present Trump with a letter from his wife - based on a similar approach Trump took at the meeting with Putin. The content of the letter concerned Ukrainian children who had been abducted by Russia. Selenskyj thus drew Trump's attention to a human and emotional issue that the US President could hardly play down without arguing against his own wife.
When German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte joined in later, it became clear how precisely the appearances had been coordinated. Meloni and Rutte praised Trump effusively, while Merz took on the role of the sober admonisher and clearly called for a ceasefire. And: the European leaders thanked Trump practically at the drop of a hat for the "great job" he was doing. Trump was evasive, but reacted unusually calmly - there was no scandal like in February.
During confidential talks, it was leaked that Ukraine wants to buy 100 billion dollars worth of weapons from the USA. In return, Trump is said to have promised security guarantees for the period following a peace agreement. This was doubly attractive for Trump: he could present himself as a businessman - and at the same time cushion the opposition in his own party, as he could sell the deal as a benefit for the USA.
In the end, there was a joint dinner that had not even been planned beforehand - a symbol that the Europeans' staging had worked. The New York Times spoke of a "masterclass in diplomacy".
However, it remains to be seen whether the balancing act was more than just a postponement of the next scandal. With Trump, he often follows whoever has impressed him most recently - on Friday it was Putin, now it's the Europeans.
