According to the author of the material, Edward Luke, if there was a Nobel Prize for patience, Zelensky would have received it, since he passed the “endurance test” in the form of bullying by US President Donald Trump.
The publication mentions Trump’s February meeting with Zelensky at the White House, which “has gone down in history as the most shameful spectacle of bullying in recent history,” and Trump’s October 17 “dragging” of Zelensky with statements that Russia would allegedly destroy Ukraine if Zelensky did not make concessions.
Luke points out that Trump never shouted at the illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he did at Zelensky. Moreover, Zelensky publicly downplayed Trump’s “attack of anger,” the FT author believes.
He admits that Putin may also get “a couple of nominations” for his patience, as he gets something in negotiations with Trump that he cannot achieve on the battlefield in Ukraine. In particular, after the summit in Alaska, Putin did not give in to any of Trump’s demands and at the same time receives the opportunity for a second meeting.
The Financial Times writes that Trump believes Zelensky's “stubbornness” is the reason he did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and sees Kyiv as “an outgunned, recalcitrant country” whose leader supposedly “has no cards.”
However, the media emphasizes, Zelensky has “cards”, for example, increasingly active support from countries from the “coalition of the willing,” as well as more frequent attacks on Russian oil refineries.
The publication is surprised at how confident Trump is “in Putin’s victory,” and recalls that some believe that “Putin has some kind of secret power over Trump,” who is also demonstrating his greed.
The author of the material concludes that Putin actually has “fewer cards than Trump suggests,” but “one of these cards is Trump.”
Context
Zelensky met with Trump several times after his second inauguration in January, and they talked about the war in Ukraine. Trump mainly made demands on Ukraine.
Trump announced on October 16 that he intends to meet with Putin in Hungary. He did not announce the date of the summit, but noted that negotiations at the level of foreign ministers were planned before this.
On October 21, a senior White House official said that a meeting between Trump and Putin was not planned “in the near future.” The change in plans was prompted by Russia's refusal to back down from its maximalist positions on what is needed to end its war against Ukraine, Politico emphasized.
