Donald Trump had bulled, belittled and humiliated Volodymyr Zelensky at the start of the month – but the picture has changed now as the US President eases a ceasefire deal
Donald Trump has said he will put the Ukraine ceasefire deal directly to Vladimir Putin.
The US President vowed to challenge Mr Putin “to tango” in the hope he will agree to terms to help end the war in Ukraine. It finally represents a rare moment of hope for Ukrainians, three years on from Mr Putin’s illegal invasion.
Mr Trump, 78, sat down with Mr Zelensky’s teams for nine hours in Saudi Arabia and, after the crunch talks, reached an agreement on the proposed terms of a ceasefire. Now, it must be presented to Russia – but Mr Trump remains determined he will convince Mr Putin.
“I will talk to Vladimir Putin – it takes two to tango. I hope he will agree,” the US President, who also today increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%, told reporters.
Experts, though, believe it is a 50-50% chance whether Mr Putin will accept the proposal of the 30-day ceasefire. The offer is understood to be one to stop the shooting altogether.
Mr Zelensky travelled to Saudi Arabia but did not participate in Tuesday’s negotiations, it is said. When he had previously tried to engage with his US counterapart, the Ukrainian leader was bulled, belittled and humiliated.
But in the 12 days since, a composed Mr Zelensky held his tongue, and the period has heralded a huge change. Now, the 47-year-old politician has been rewarded – finally – with the US’ support.
Behind the scenes, Sir Keir Starmer and leading UK officials, such as National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell, have played a significant role since the White House debacle too.
The Prime Minister has energised Europe, stood up to the bullies in Washington DC and convinced Mr Zelensky he can rely on this country’s support more than any other.
Keir was also in the ear of his Ukrainian counterpart soon after the Oval Office debacle, guiding him as to how to respond to Mr Trump and prompting an olive branch offered a week ago that helped turned the tumultous situation on its head and pave a path to peace.
Mr Powell, a seasoned envoy, was later dispatched to Kyiv to provide the Ukrainian president with a guide to transatlantic diplomacy. When President Zelensky was unceremoniously turfed out of the White House the guffawing from the Kremlin could almost be heard in Kyiv. But the mood in Moscow will surely be more uncertain.