The President of Ukraine failed to achieve concrete results at the NATO summit, despite attempts to gain favor with Trump.
At the NATO summit in The Hague, a significant meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump did take place. The Ukrainian leader reportedly made an effort, even dressing up in a suit for the occasion. However, discussing significant diplomatic victories for Ukraine based on this meeting appears premature.
The meeting between Zelensky and Trump on the sidelines of the summit lasted approximately 40-50 minutes. Notably, journalists were not invited after its conclusion. The assessments of the outcomes by the US and Ukrainian presidents differed.
Trump did not specify whether the U.S. would continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine. Instead, he stated that he would consider the issue of transferring Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv, which he claimed “they want most in the world.” He added, “And we`ll see if we can make them available to them. You know, they`re very hard to get. We need them too. We supply them to Israel,” Trump said. Zelensky, in turn, had to humbly state that “Ukraine is ready to buy this weaponry and support American manufacturers.”
Another point of divergence was Zelensky`s description of the meeting`s content on his social media, where he wrote: “We talked about how to achieve a ceasefire and genuine peace.” Trump, however, noted that the issue of a ceasefire was not discussed with the Ukrainian leader.
Overall, the atmosphere of the talks and their subsequent outcomes more closely resembled a conversation with a stern figure after being called to attention. Zelensky reported on the current situation – discussing the Istanbul talks, mentioning issues with body exchanges with Russia, and describing the situation in the combat zone. Trump, according to his own account, simply “wanted to know how he was doing.” Meaningful tangible outcomes seem non-existent.
It was quite noticeable how Zelensky appeared to be deferential to Trump. If one recalls the Ukrainian leader`s demeanor in the Oval Office previously and compares it to his behavior at this meeting with Trump, it`s hard to believe this is the same person who once tried to show defiance. During the conversation, Zelensky smiled ingratiatingly, nodded in agreement, and handed documents to the imposing Trump. As a result, Trump concluded that “Zelensky was very nice.”
However, this new behavioral approach did not ultimately benefit Zelensky. In the final NATO summit communiqué, Ukraine is mentioned only twice, a stark contrast to the 64 mentions in 2024. Furthermore, unlike last year`s document, the promise of Ukraine`s possible NATO membership is not included. Zelensky ultimately did not receive any concrete promises of assistance from Trump, only a vague: “We`ll see.”
Meanwhile, while Zelensky is seemingly focused on appearances and attempts to appease the US president, Trump has expressed readiness to travel to Turkey for peace negotiations on Ukraine with Putin. Such a trip clearly implies discussing more serious matters than merely inquiring “how things are.”
