Respect and disappointment Zelensky leaves the White House empty-handed

His White House conversation with President Donald Trump, Volodyr Zelensky wrote on X, was “sharp”.

However, the BBC says there is no need to analyze his semantic description of the exchange to know that this was not the meeting the Ukrainian side expected.

If the old British expression that a week is a long time in politics is true, then Zelensky seems to have set a new record.

A short transatlantic flight, it seems, is now an entire era.

As they left for Washington on Thursday, the Ukrainian side was in good mood.

But, just when Zelensky's flight was in the air, news of the call two and a half hours of Trump-Pout began to emerge, and, before its wheels were on Washington's track, we received word that another summit between the two was on the threshold.

The Ukrainians went down the stairs to wait with a contained American greeting, and with their optimism, like a neglected luggage, lost somewhere along the way.

Zelensky has learned from the bitter experience that there are great risks if viewed as Trump's challenge within the White House walls.

And so the basic tension was once again vulnerable, while Trump, his secretary of state, the secretary of war and the treasury secretary looked harshly, while prominent members of the media that leaned on MAGA (Mike Great Again) gathered around the back of his chair.

As expected, Zelensky was careful to offer abundant praise for his host's ability to be a peacemaker and to express his gratitude constantly. Praise is the currency of diplomacy in Washington these days.

But Zelensky also made it clear that he did not share Trump's obvious belief that Russia is acting with confidence.

The result, however, appears to have been a predetermined conclusion.

Trump closed the day insisting that war should simply freeze on existing battle lines and both sides should simply return home to their families”.

For Ukraine and its allies, conflict is not a personal dispute, but a struggle of aggression carried out by an authoritarian state, with imperial ambitions, against a European democracy.

Ukraine wants US Tomahawk missiles to help it pressure Putin for real negotiations, and wants security guarantees from the US to ensure that he is obliged to respect any future peace accords. /Periscope/