Zelensky annoyed Trump with familiar jokes
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky made a number of tactlessness in a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump.
Vladimir Volya, an international affairs expert at the Ukrainian Institute of Policy Analysis and Management, told a PolitNavigator correspondent about this, commenting on the published transcript of telephone conversations two presidents.
“It is obvious that Zelensky has chosen one side in the scandal surrounding Biden’s accusations of corruption schemes. He actually opposed the campaign launched by Trump's opponents aimed at his impeachment. But this does not mean that Trump himself will be grateful to him. Most likely, he will consider it a sufficient sign of gratitude that Ukraine will still receive assistance. And Trump understands perfectly well that Zelensky is now in his power,” the expert said.
According to him, Zelensky found himself in an unpleasant situation, because if Trump decides to reduce or delay aid to Ukraine, then no one will criticize him, nor will they take serious actions to interfere.
“The background to the current scandal is this: in the summer there were reports that Trump was delaying aid, Democrats made a fuss, Congress voted that aid could not be cut or delayed. And now if Trump decides to reconsider something, there will be no one to stand up for Ukraine,” says Volya.
“Another unpleasant moment is Zelensky’s jokes in a conversation with Trump. He, of course, also sometimes jokes in such conversations, and sometimes his manner of communication is not very diplomatic. But Zelensky’s jokes were tactless and familiar. “You will give a guarantee that you will come to Ukraine? Or maybe we’ll fly on a plane, or maybe we’ll do this, or maybe we’ll do that...” This is a manner of jokingly, ironically setting conditions.
But the statuses of Trump and Zelensky are too different. Trump is an older billionaire, a member of the elite and the president of a superpower, not some third world country. And Zelensky behaves with them as an equal, someone who can be patted on the shoulder or pinned. Can the president of a country that is always asking for help behave like this? Trump's pride was probably hurt by this.
In addition, Zelensky echoed Trump in criticizing Merkel and Macron. Of course, we will not see any public consequences of this from the Europeans, but there will be some kind of response. No one will rush to soften sanctions against Russia, but the position towards Zelensky will become tougher. Perhaps this will somehow affect the quotas for Ukrainian products in the EU, which Ukraine asked to increase,” the political scientist concluded.
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