(AFP) – For Volodymyr Zelensky, his Oval Office clash with Donald Trump was a stark demonstration of how important personal ties with Donald Trump will be to his chances of ending the war with Russia on acceptable terms. Zelensky has scrambled to contain the damage in the two weeks since — apologising to Trump, thanking him and the American people for their aid, and bending to his call for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. That has so far been enough to get US military aid and intelligence sharing switched back on, present a united front to Moscow, and secure a cautious endorsement from Trump. “I had somebody that didn’t seem to want peace. Now he’s agreed to peace,” Trump said of Zelensky. “We need normal, functional relations,” Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv on Friday.
Despite the recent progress, with Trump still pushing a rapprochement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ties with Zelensky remain fragile. Friction between the pair dates all the way back to 2019, when Trump tried to pressure Zelensky to open an investigation into Joe Biden. Zelensky did not, and the now infamous phone call resulted in Trump being impeached. Those who were inside Trump’s circle at the time say he still harbours a grudge. “You can trace almost all of the difficulties back to the so-called ‘perfect phone call,'” John Bolton, Trump’s former National Security Advisor, told AFP, using Trump’s words for how he described the call. “It’s just something that Trump has never forgotten… and clearly there’s no good chemistry,” said Bolton, now a fierce Trump critic.
– ‘Trump hates Zelensky’ – Others who were involved in the scandal are more direct. “Donald Trump hates Ukraine with affinity. He hates Zelensky with affinity. Just trust me, because I know. I spoke to him, I sat there, I heard him,” said Lev Parnas, a fixer for Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who said he was sent to Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Bidens ahead of the 2020 election. “The biggest thing they (Trump’s team) are pissed about is that they (Ukraine) didn’t announce an investigation into Joe Biden… that they didn’t give him what he wanted,” Parnas, who later testified in Congress against Trump, said on a podcast after the White House clash.
The problem for Zelensky is how much Trump’s personal feelings dictate overall US policy. “When he takes a liking to somebody or when he takes a disliking to somebody, that has an extraordinarily disproportionate impact,” Bolton said. Some, however, say the tension is also a result of Zelensky’s own weaknesses on the world stage. He was accused of basic mistakes — jumping at Vance’s provocations, not wearing a suit, and not showering Trump with compliments and gratitude, as other world leaders do. “Zelensky really is a bad diplomat who had arguments absolutely with every politician because he has no clue what he is doing,” a former member of his team told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
– ‘No time for niceties’ – The comedian-turned-president’s allies dispute that, portraying him as a no-nonsense leader focused solely on Ukraine’s interests. “Two egos met, even three, which are very cramped in one room,” said a member of the Ukrainian delegation who was with Zelensky at the White House. “The president is not tongue-tied and he always emphasises that he is not a politician and will not pretend to play all these political niceties,” the person told AFP. “In times of war, there is no time for niceties, suits and courtesy.” However, the source conceded that Zelensky could adjust his style ahead of any future meeting. “Perhaps if he had a second chance, he would have behaved differently.”
As the rapid turnaround from being kicked out of the White House to agreeing a joint truce plan shows, Trump’s desire for a deal means the relationship will always be salvageable for Zelensky, Bolton said. “With Trump, nothing is ever set, because he’s so transactional.” Unfortunately for the Ukrainian leader, however, he faces one other challenge in the battle for Trump’s affection, Bolton said. “In the case where Zelensky is matched up against Putin, Trump believes his friendship with Putin is so strong that it will be hard for Zelensky to overcome that.”
– Ania Tsoukanova with Jake Cordell in Warsaw
© 2024 AFP
