Donald Trump, JD Vance and Volodymyr Zelensky

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Carlo Versano

By Carlo Versano

Director, Politics & Culture

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The Insider's Track

Good morning,

Have the Oscars always been so boring and pretentious or am I just old now and no longer tapped into the zeitgeist?

I suppose we should discuss the Zelensky disaster from Friday, which I watched in horror like everyone else. As a general rule, I do not think kicking a wartime ally out of the White House is a good look under any circumstance. As I watched that Oval Office meeting between Zelensky and Trump/Vance unravel in real time, my first thought was: "Oh boy, Putin is going to love this." Indeed, the Russian response has been nothing short of ecstatic, with a Kremlin spokesperson saying on state TV over the weekend that the Trump administration's policy vis a vis Ukraine now "largely aligns with our vision." Ugh.

That said—and I know this will offend many of you—Zelensky utterly screwed the pooch here. If you just watch the clips circulating on social media of when the meeting went south, it's easy to see why many on the left are accusing Trump and Vance of "ambushing" or setting up the Ukrainian president. But if you watch the entire 45-minute meeting, as I have twice, it's easier to see how Zelensky stepped in it.

First, Trump had notably softened his tone on Ukraine—and Zelensky personally—in the days before the meeting, which was intended as a photo op for the two countries to sign a deal that would give the U.S. access to some of Ukraine's natural resources in exchange for our military support, and thereby project to Putin that the U.S. was serious about winding down the war but would not abandon Kyiv in the process. Trump even, kind of, admitted he was wrong to call Zelensky a dictator ("Did I say that? I can't believe I said that"), which is something he never does. The pump had been primed for a reset of the Trump-Zelensky relationship. Zelensky might have even worn a suit—knowing that, as dumb as it is, Trump gets annoyed when he doesn't.

A talented statesman would have shown up to the White House armed with a smile and words of flattery and gratitude. Instead, Zelensky decided to go into the meeting—in front of the cameras—by being combative toward his hosts, including a VP who has said in no uncertain terms that he "doesn't care" what happens to Ukraine. I have covered a million of these Oval "sprays," as they're called, and nobody does this. You sit there, grinning, say a bunch of flattering things about your host, shake hands, and the press leaves so you can talk freely.

For Zelensky to litigate the case for the war continuing, suggest ominously that the U.S. would be threatened by Russia "in the future," and interrogate and interrupt the president and vice president in front of the media, in their own house (!), in a language he is still not particularly fluent in—it showed some of the worst political instincts I have ever seen. It was a catastrophic misreading of Trump and Trumpism from a world leader many of us have admired for his bravery over the last three years, and it makes me wonder if Zelensky is even capable of working with the U.S. to wind down this war.

The Rundown

Trump Allies Double-Down on Zelensky Criticism: 'He Chose to Blow That Up'

President Donald Trump's allies have continued to hit out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following Friday's tense Oval Office meeting that ended with Zelensky's premature departure from the White House. U.S. officials, meanwhile, have criticized the Ukrainian leader for his approach to the meeting and to the aid the U.S. has provided to Kyiv amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, primarily blaming him for Friday's clash. Read the full story.

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