Von Rüdiger Rauls
Under Pressure
While rejecting Selenskiy’s person and criticizing his politics, it is essential not to overlook that he is a human being, just like the rest of us, including Trump and Putin. They are politicians with significant power, but also ordinary people with families, friends, feelings, thoughts and delusions.
Many of these aspects have gone through the Oval Office with Trump and Selenskiy. Vance had already given a glimpse of the changing mood in the US at the Munich Security Conference, but not as emotionally charged as his boss in the White House on Friday. However, this change has not yet reached many leaders in the political West.
Reality stands in opposition to opinions and delusions. If Selenskiy is not completely blind, he should be aware of the situation: the Russian army is advancing further west and the Ukraine is facing a shortage of weapons and soldiers, with limited funds to begin with. The US, the Ukraine’s largest weapons and financial backer, now threatens to withdraw its support. Trump is also strengthening Putin’s back, as he wants an end to the war and the return of American funds. Trump has even initiated direct negotiations with Russia, bypassing the Ukraine and Europe.
The US is threatening to switch sides. While the rest of the political West may still pretend to uphold unwavering solidarity with the Ukraine, the Europeans will not be able to replace the US. They still chant old mantras, such as the importance of negotiating from a position of strength, at least on equal terms and that Russia must not win the war. They refuse to acknowledge that this was the thinking of the Biden administration and that this thinking has little validity under Trump.
In a state of panic, a conference follows another and European visitors try to win Trump over with psychological tricks. Macron, the self-satisfied and overestimated French leader, attempted to manipulate Trump with psychological tricks, while Keir Starmer, the rather wooden British politician, invoked the Anglo-American alliance since the fight against the Nazis. Selenskiy, on the other hand, tried to bribe Trump with business deals. In the end, they were all concerned with the continuation of the war, even if everyone claims to be talking about peace. But if there is to be peace, it will not be under Putin’s conditions.
This confrontation between Trump and Selenskiy did not come out of the blue. However, it was not expected that it would be so undiplomatic. In the rest of the political West, they only discussed this in hushed tones in the backrooms, while in public, they pretended to be mild. Trump and Selenskiy have been at odds with each other for a long time, with Trump primarily seeking the return of the billions of dollars invested in the Ukraine, without anything tangible resulting from it.
Therefore, Trump gladly accepted Selenskiy’s offer to explore the Ukrainian natural resources. As a businessman, Trump says that his life’s purpose is to make deals. He can do nothing else. When Selenskiy refused the first agreement on the exploitation of these resources, Trump increased the pressure. This is part of his deals.
Selenskiy may come to the White House if he is willing to sign the agreement between the US and the Ukraine, otherwise, he is not needed. After some changes to the text, which did not disadvantage the Ukraine, a meeting in Washington was scheduled. This is the background of the meeting, which then went off the rails.
Talk-Show Level
In more detailed accounts of the meeting in the White House, not the abbreviated versions that only show Trump’s outbursts, one of the first questions from journalists to Selenskiy was why he was not wearing a suit like everyone else. It is clear that this question has disturbed and surprised him, as it is un expected. What? Why? Are the camouflage and olive green as proof of his selfless fight for the interests of the free West now out of fashion? To highlight this, he answers that he will only wear a suit after the war, meaning, in civilian life.
However, this was not enough for the assembly. They emphasized that his appearance did not befit the dignity of the house, that he was hurting the feelings of the American people. It is difficult to assess the truth of this claim, but with such criticisms, the change in mood is expressed, even if the media and opinion-makers seem to consider them as insignificant, so they do not recognize the underlying changes.
This change in mood in the US and the shift of the American administration to a more materialistic and interest-oriented policy are the background of the explosion of emotions in the Oval Office. The subsequent discussion resembled more a second-rate talk show, where everyone interrupts each other, with accusations flying back and forth and everyone wants to be right. This was very disheartening for the global public. Many must have felt reminded of the arguments in their everyday lives. Should it not be more objective and serious in the great politics, where the fate of entire nations is at stake?
Rüdiger Rauls is a freelance photographer and author and runs the blog Political Analysis.