The whole world is still talking about what happened in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and rightly so.
What the world witnessed, whereby a simple press gaggle turned into a diplomatic nightmare, is something of a historical first.
You can call it whatever you want but this was no “mishap” as others have labelled or called it. This was anything but a diplomatic “mishap.” Calling it as such is both wrong and misleading and this is why.
A “mishap” is something that isn’t intentional, an accident perhaps, something that wasn’t planned or expected. However, close observation of the incident, warrants otherwise.
First, let’s call that incident what it really is. What happened was raw and unscripted. It was a diplomatic blunder of unparalleled proportion because there is nothing like it in living memory or history. It is something that has never been done or witnessed, ever, not in diplomacy or any diplomatic forum.
From the initial onset, it was clear to all objective political and diplomatic observers that something was off. Furthermore, it became equally clear that someone, that is, one of the two key principal parties already had an agenda going in and the question is who and why?
What was clear, though, was that the Ukrainian President’s overall demeanour was off. He was tense. He was fidgety and he had these weird facial expressions. His tone and gestures were another telltale.
For instance, he would frown, shake his head, roll his eyes, tap his fingers together and even fold and unfold his arms, as if uneasy. At times, he appeared irritated, impatient and even antagonistic towards his host and patron. His entire body language was just off and he appeared totally disrespectful.
At that moment, it became clear that Zelensky was playing President Trump and he had absolutely no intention of fulfilling his end of the bargain. In other words, he had already made up his mind to renege on his commitment and wasn’t going to sign the much anticipated bilateral Minerals Deal between the U.S. and Ukraine, which, afterall, had largely been seen as a precursor to the peace deal. That had been the sole and entire purpose of The White House press gaggle.
This then leads to the important question, why would the comedian Ukrainian dictator agree to the meeting when he already knew he wasn’t going to sign? The answer is simple. Sabotage.
Zelensky went into that press gaggle fully aware that not signing the deal would humiliate a President who had pride himself as the ultimate deal maker. Furthermore, by throwing a wrench into the entire process before the entire press corps and the world, it would appear Zelensky had hoped to win some form of concession from Trump.
That, of course, was misguided. Zelensky’s plot to scuttle the diplomatic overture by undermining the entire diplomatic process in full view of the press was a grave mistake that would become a diplomatic nightmare, whose reach and impact he would later come to understand. He had overplayed his hand.
Like all other foreign leaders and dignitaries who had had the privilege of being at the Oval Office in The White House before him, and because all high stakes diplomatic manoeuvres are conducted discreetly and secretly behind closed doors, Zelensky only had one simple thing to do.
He was supposed to sit down and smile for the cameras. Afterwhich, both he and President Trump would sign the bilateral Minerals Deal which both parties had already agreed to prior and then go for an already prepared luncheon. He couldn’t do that.
Now, we know why.
Firstly, about an hour before the now ill-fated White House meeting, pro-Ukrainian Democrats and rabid anti-Trumpers met with Zelensky and his team. He may have been coached as to what to say or do during the engagement with Trump but even more so, they managed to convince him to turn down the deal as one Senator, Chris Murphy, would later boast on his social media post.
“Just finished a meeting with President Zelensky here in Washington. He confirmed that the Ukrainian people will not support a fake peace agreement where Putin gets everything he wants and there are no security arrangements for Ukraine.”
Unfortunately for the overly ambitious but rather naive Zelensky, he fell hook, line and sinker for the Democrats lies whose sole purpose remains the same: to undermine and take down Trump.
The mental midget and “useful idiot” Zelensky got played and was used to scatter whatever chance or hope of a great economic deal with the US, a deal which would have guaranteed peace and economic stability for Ukraine. That same deal would have also guaranteed security against any more Russian incursions.
Nothing captures the sheer magnitude of Zelensky’s squandered opportunity and the role of the Democrats in all of this, like Michael Goodwin’s article in the New York Post.
Secondly, despite consensus agreement between the bilateral teams on the terms of the deal, that is, in meetings held both in Ukraine and in the US, Zelensky continuously refused to sign, instead, insisting on coming to The White House. Despite multiple attempts and diplomatic overtures by senior Trump Admin officials and diplomats, he refused to sign, thereby causing frustration and even suspicion within the Trump camp.
Expressing frustration over Zelensky and what is now clearly a deliberate sabotage of the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the question of what happened days prior, with special emphasis on the bilateral engagements.
“This has been going on for 10 days and to see things in the press saying we (the Trump Admin) are not coordinating with the Ukrainians, that’s absolutely false,” he said to a reporter, dismissing Zelensky’s lies that they were excluded.
Rubio then elaborated further.
“In the last 10 days, the Ukrainians have met with the Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of State, the Vice President of The United States and had a phone call with President Trump.”
Again, this was all prior to the Oval Office meeting.
Rubio ended by pointing out that he ”talked to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister three times in the last 10-days,” discounting everything that Zelensky has been spouting in the media.
His intention to sabotage and scuttle the bilateral meeting was further revealed by his conduct. He was arrogant and antagonistic towards his host, showing a sense of entitlement.
This was more evident when he challenged, tried to correct and relitigate the war with Vice President Vance first and then with President Trump. This included interjections, talked over them nonstop and he wouldn’t shut up. He berated his hosts. The man was rude. He was arrogant. He was argumentative and he was dismissive. He came off as a spoiled and entitled brat.
As if that wasn’t enough, Zelensky was condescending in some of his remarks particularly when he came off as lecturing his host and patron, President Trump. That was the moment when he seemed to suggest that if he didn’t get the support he wanted, then trouble would somehow cross the ocean and come to US shores, an arrogant statement that caused interjection from Trump.
He seemed irate at being challenged over that reckless statement by his host. Afterall, this is a man who isn’t used to being challenged, questioned let alone doubted by anyone. Certainly not by the previous Biden Administration, not by western or European leaders and not even by other world’s leaders. That soft approach and appeasement he got accustomed to may have enabled his very egotistic nature leading to this ungrateful character that we now see.
Which why, after witnessing the blatant disrespect of the diplomatic process, including blatant disregard of simple diplomatic protocols and norms, it’s undestandable why President Trump cancelled the scheduled Joint Press Conference and the planned luncheon and then kicked Zelensky and his Ukrainian entourage out of The White House.
That move, appeared to have surprised the Ukrainian President and his entourage who by surprise although not the American people or million others who watched from across the world. That lack of understanding on Zelensky’s part on why things ended the way they did is exactly the same reason why he failed to read the the mood in that room properly, hence the situation is where it is today.
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