Zelenskyi walked in a white house to a situation that had been tuned in against him, says Tuukka Hetemäki, a crisis expert.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyi On Friday, he encountered a situation in the White House that was not easy to get out, says Tekir’s leading consultant in crisis communications and communications agency Tekir Tuukka Hetemäki.
The situation escalated to shout with US President Donald Trump and vice president JD VANCE They were gratifying Zelensky.
-It seemed that Trump and Vance had a clear intention to provoke Zelensky and try to get him react in a way that would appear favorable to their own audience, that is, Maga Republicans and their voters.
– Zelenskyi walked into a situation that had been tuned to him, says Hetemäki.
The meeting that was shouted ended prematurely and Zelenskyi had to leave the white house.
According to the White House, the mineral agreement, which was to be signed at the meeting, was not finally signed on Friday.
Zelenskyi appeared unreasonable during the meeting and did not praise or humble it in front of Trump, even though both Trump and Vice President JD Vance demanded gratitude from him.
Humiliation could have been more harmful to Zelensky
Zelensky certainly had a plan for the situation, but he probably had to reject it, Hetemäki estimates.
– He probably had to improvise a new plan in the situation. There were many bad options on the table, says Hetemäki.
Open conflict was a bad option, but according to Hetemäki, even worse the alternative would have been humiliation and pleasure.
“Perhaps he may have taken less bad about the options on the table,” says Hetemäki.
According to Hetemäki, Zelensky’s stunning attitude is also a way to maintain the respect for both their own people and other supporters of Ukraine. In his view, too humiliating the performance could even have frustrated the reputation of Zelensky.
“However, the performance sent a strong message to the rest of the world that Ukraine would not bend or make peace at all costs,” Hetemäki says.
Starmer and Macron chose a pleasure
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the White House on Thursday this week. Starmer passed to Trump during the meeting king of a state visit invitation Charles from Charleswhich Trump approved seemingly.
A researcher of the Institute for Foreign Policy Joel Linnainmäki then commented to that Starmer and Macron They seemed to have chosen a certain mood and the path to meet Trump.
Hetemäki estimates that Trump likes the mood, but ultimately respects power.
– He is such a dealer. The only things he understands are power and exchange rates. The Trump playbook is that he tries to bluff and threaten, for example, with these customs speeches. He’s hard to proclaim things. Then he looks at whether the threat is doing something good for him. If not, or the reaction, on the contrary, is harmful to Trump, he will postpone or cancel his original threat, Hetemäki opens.
Zelenskyi met Trump and Vance alone. The presence of the interpreter could have slightly curbed the intense exchange of words, but Hetemäki believes that Trump and Vance might have seen the interpreter as an insult, but the speech of the speech is fluent English.
Trump Saarteleli Zelensky at the beginning of the meeting about his clothing. The reporter of the far -right Real America’s Voice News, who was later present, also criticized Zelensky’s outfit.
Professor of North American Research Benita Heiskanen On Friday, the University of Turku described the meeting in a completely exceptional cell. Hetemäki shares his opinion.
“Probably such discussions are seen behind the doors closed in diplomacy, but it is completely exceptional to the media,” says Hetemäki.