Yesterday was the day then the Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy was due to appear in the Oval Office of the White House and then sign minerals deal with Trump and his coterie. But what ensued was one of the most amazing spectacles ever witnessed in the whole of diplomatic history. Zelenskyy was goaded into a public row and slanging match with both Trump and his Vice President, J D Vance in one of the most unseemly spectacles ever seen. Perhaps Zelensky should have kept his cool but in in any event what ensued was a diplomatic disaster. It did not go well when Trump greeted Zelensky with sarcastic remarks about the military fatigues that Zelenskyy has worn since the start of the war against Russia. Hostilities were started by J D Vance who accused the Ukrainian leader of not having publicly thanked their Americans that day (even though he has done so publicly several times in the past) and was then accused of a lack of respect for both the USA and for Trump. The argument continued when Zelenskyy tried to inform his hosts that diplomatic solutions with Putin were difficult as in the early stages of the co conflict over Crimea, the Russians had reneged on a diplomatic deal for the exchange of prisoners. but after that Zelenskyy could scarcely get a word in edgeways. One got the impression of a wounded animal trapped in a cafe whilst the captors goaded it with pointed sticks and was one of the worst incidents of a public dressing down and humiliation of a leader ever seen and after this, a signing ceremony to conclude the minerals deal was clearly impossible. Zelenskyy then it appears was marched out of the White House and told to return only when he could talk about 'peace' which, in the Trump world view, means total abdication. Some of the more extreme members of the Trump chosen press corps was then let loose to upbraid Zelenskyy for not wearing a suit and the rest of the diplomatic world rubbed its collective eyes in disbelief at what they had just witnessed. Meanwhile, the Russians must be laughing their heads off and not believing their good fortune. What happens now is unclear. but Zelenskyy is due to attend a meeting of fellow European leaders in London on Sunday and, so far, they have all rushed around to offer their support for the berated leader. Most of the commentators on these events are saying this is a diplomatic disaster for Zelenskyy but I am not so sure. Trump and his team have been shown up to be up to be xenophobic bullies of the highest order with no regard for diplomatic niceties and conventions but it leaves the Europeans leaders with a real dilemma in how to deal with Trump. Starmer, in particular, must decide whether he acts as a bridge and attempt to heal the rift, but this might. not be possible. The Americans are saying that Zelenskyy should issue a grovelling apology before further talks are possible but as things stand now, all bets are off. Trump also mentioned that this debacle would 'make excellent television' so, even if not actively planned, Trump and his team were quite happy for it to unfold in this particular way.
The day started off freezing cold but looked as though it would heat up later in the morning, so Meg and I set off down the hill, enjoying a little spring sunshine. When we called into Waitrose, copies of our daily newspaper had not been delivered so I bought a copy of 'The Guardian' on this momentous day for news. After we had had our normal elevenses with one of our friends in Wetherspoons, we set forth on the road and managed to locate a copy of 'The Times' in W H Smiths. Then we went across the road to the Salvation Army charity shop which happened to have in stock some knee protective supports which I had purchased from them previously. So today, I bought two of them, one for myself and one for our Italian friend who lisves down the road and who I know is having trouble with one of her knees and to whom I mentioned this support the other day. On the way home, I posted one of these supports through her front door with a brief note so that she knows how it has appeared. I also bought a ceramic oven dish which I pressed into service when I got home as we lunched on some spicy chicken nuggets. At the end of the morning, I helped a single carer hoist Meg into her chair in the Music Lounge and did the same thing with another carer to the end of the afternoon, so I have been pressed into service twice over today because of staff shortages (and car breakdown) Although we had seen it relatively recently, Meg and I started watching 'Swallows and Amazons' not least for the stunning views of Windermere (and occasionally, Derwentwater).
As might be imagined, the news media is full of the sequelae and analysis of the terrible bust up in the White House yesterday evening. Even though most European leaders have been quick to add their support to Zelenskyy there is a realisation that relationships with the USA have to be repaired. Zelenskyy will no doubt have to learn to keep any disagreements in private and not be filmed for all of the world to see, although he was ganged up on yesterday. Even Trump must realise that if he wants a deal, not to mention mineral rights, then he might have to moderate his behaviour even if not his attitudes. As it happens, there is a European conference in London on Sunday when there will be lots of opportunities for the Europeans to get their acts together but dealing with the mercurial and lying Trump is so difficult. I think there is a phrase in the Bible about not being able to reason with a fool and today we have seen several episodes of the American network MSNBC made freely available on YouTube where commentators are falling over themselves with rage at outrageous Trump behaviour as they see it.
© Mike Hart [2025]