Latest news with #US-Ukraine relations
South China Morning Post
20 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Zelensky gifts Trump a golf club owned by Ukraine war veteran
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave US counterpart Donald Trump a golf club during his visit to Washington this week that had belonged to a serviceman fighting Russia's invasion, Kyiv said on Tuesday. Advertisement Trump, an avid golfer who owns several courses, accepted the gift and presented Zelensky with symbolic keys to the White House in return, the Ukrainian leader's office said. The warm exchange marks a stark turnaround from February, when Zelensky left the White House early following a televised shouting match with Trump and US Vice-President J.D. Vance Since that tense encounter, Zelensky has sought to repair ties, flattering Trump in public appearances and praising his efforts to secure peace. 'The president of Ukraine presented the president of the United States with a golf club,' Zelensky's office said on Tuesday. Advertisement The club previously belonged to Kostiantyn Kartavtsev – a Ukrainian soldier who 'had lost a leg in the first months of Russia's full-scale invasion while saving his brothers-in-arms', the office said. Zelensky showed Trump a video of Kartavtsev, it said.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Thank you, Mr. President. Zelenskyy deploys gratitude diplomacy for second visit to Oval Office
LONDON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wasn't going to risk being accused of being ungrateful this time. With peace talks on the table and a chance to rebound from his disastrous White House scolding six months ago, Zelenskyy made sure to show his gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump during Monday's meeting in the Oval Office. In fact, he thanked Trump nine times in the first minute of their brief public meeting that preceded a short news conference. 'Thanks so much, Mr. President,' he said. 'First of all, thank you for the invitation and thank you very much for your efforts, personal efforts to stop killings and stop this war. Thank you.' In February, Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump quickly spiraled into a public relations disaster when Vice President JD Vance berated him for not being sufficiently thankful. 'You should be thanking the President for trying to bring an end to this conflict,' Vance said in a moment that caught Zelenskyy off guard. 'Have you said thank you once? In this entire meeting? No, in this entire meeting, have you said thank you?' Zelenskyy tried to defend himself, saying he had always expressed his appreciation to the U.S. for the military and financial support it provided after Russia invaded it in 2022. But the damage was done. World leaders took their cue and learned that flattery is the way to winning over the unpredictable Trump. With a chance to make a second impression in the same setting, gratitude diplomacy was front and center for Zelenskyy and his peers. He went on to extend his thanks to Melania Trump for personally writing to Russian President Vladimir Putin to think about the Ukrainian children and urge peace. And he thanked his European allies who had arrived as reinforcements in Washington to present a unified front to push for a ceasefire and security guarantees if there is a peace deal with Russia. In a second meeting with top leaders from Europe, Zelenskyy expressed his thanks at least seven times, including two mentions of a map Trump had presented him. 'Thank you for the map, by the way,' he said. He was not alone. Trump himself used the T-word about a dozen times in the later meeting and heaped praise on his fellow leaders from Europe. He called Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a great leader with a long career ahead, said he liked French President Emmanuel Macron even more since he's gotten to know him — something he noted was unusual for him — and he complimented German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's tan. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer thanked the president four times, noting that after three years of fighting, nobody else had been able to bring the conflict as close to a possible end. 'So I thank you for that,' Starmer said. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who addressed Trump as 'dear Donald' during the meeting, later called the president 'amazing.'
Irish Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Ukraine and Europe steer Trump peace bid away from immediate disaster for Kyiv
It is agonising for Ukraine to watch US president Donald Trump trying to drive it towards some sort of peace deal with Russia , so even the mere avoidance of a horrible smash-up on yet another blind bend feels like a small but precious victory. The nightmare scenario for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy 's return to Washington on Monday was a repeat of his White House car crash back in February, when a public row with Trump threatened to send US-Ukraine relations off a precipice. Instead, there were smiles and jokes and a sense that, at least for now, Trump accepted that Kyiv and other European capitals must have a big say in how the Ukraine-Russia war might end – contrary to the efforts of Russian president Vladimir Putin , who had enjoyed his own win when dominating Trump during their summit in Alaska. That meeting last Friday ended with Trump dropping threats of more sanctions on Russia, accepting the Kremlin's rejection of a ceasefire and backing its demand for swathes of Ukrainian territory, and with Putin telling 'Kyiv and European capitals to see this constructively and to not throw a spanner in the works ... to torpedo the nascent progress.' READ MORE On Monday, however, Europe was back in the room and determined to shape the discussion and be fully involved in questions of Ukraine's long-term security. Volodymyr Zelenskiy pushed for US-backed security guarantees as part of any long-term agreement to end the war with Russia. Video: Reuters The peril of the moment presented by the Alaska summit was reflected in a swift decision by the leaders of Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Finland to join Mr Zelenskiy in Washington, along with top officials from the European Union and Nato. Trump could have bristled at any suggestion that Europe was flying in mobhanded to save Zelenskiy from another mauling in the Oval Office, or to put him straight on which country actually started the war, has committed mass atrocities and so on. In the event, Trump seemed well-disposed towards all his European visitors, and even appeared to welcome their push to play a key role in resolving Europe's biggest war since 1945, and in trying to ensure that Russia would not invade Ukraine again. It was almost as if Trump might be relieved – having seen Putin's intransigence in-person just a few days before – to have some help in trying to craft a peace deal, as well as having a few more potential fall guys to take the flak if the whole thing failed. Zelenskiy and the Europeans won some important assurances from Trump – though they know breakthroughs can be brief with the mercurial US leader. Trump confirmed that the US was willing play a role in the provision of postwar security guarantees to Ukraine, albeit in a 'co-ordination' role to 'help out' European states that would be 'a first line of defence, because they're there.' [ Keith Duggan: Trump meets Zelenskiy and European leaders in bid to seal Ukraine deal Opens in new window ] [ Lara Marlowe in Ukraine: Scepticism grows amid push for peace Opens in new window ] This US support for a European-led post war security effort is potentially crucial, given previous discussions between EU states about the possible deployment of a peacekeeping force to postwar Ukraine – and Russia's outright rejection, repeated on Monday as talks in Washington began, of any such role for western troops. Zelenskiy said he and Trump had agreed to 'leave the issue of territories to me and Putin,' and the US leader said any decision to relinquish land 'can only be made by president Zelenskiy and by the people of Ukraine, working also in agreement with president Putin.' Talks on security guarantees will begin immediately, and a Putin-Zelenskiy summit could come within a fortnight, said German chancellor Friedrich Merz. Trump is still driving this rollercoaster peace bid – and the journey is still nerve-racking – but Ukraine and its European allies have at least managed to give the steering wheel a nudge to avert immediate disaster.
