Friday’s meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and President Donald Trump of the United States was the most shocking public meeting ever to take place in the White House, certainly the worst ever to unfold in front of the world’s cameras.
In a matter of only a few minutes, it went from cordial to edgy to contentious to combative to (figuratively speaking) a bare-knuckled fistfight There was no winner but there was clearly one loser: the United States of America. Here’s why:
This was no place for negotiation.
A meeting of this consequence should have been ceremonial, with the negotiations having taken place ahead of time. This should have been a signing of the agreement to end the Ukraine-Russia war. Given that a deal was in the works to cut the U.S. in on 20% of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, of which Ukraine is loaded, great care should have been taken on Trump’s part to make sure things went smoothly.
Ukraine is mineral rich.
Ukraine has some of the world’s largest deposits of graphite, lithium, titanium, beryllium, and uranium, all of which are critical in developing and supporting AI, quantum computing, non-fossiuel propulsion, and other 21st century technologies. Further, 50% of Ukraine’s deposits lie in regions that have been annexed by Russia. At least for now, the U.S. has lost out on that.
What is negotiation anyway?
That Donald Trump turned this meeting into a one-sided gang-up – he had his vice president and secretary of state in the room, all crowding Zelenskyy in – is no surprise. That was very much in character. He also displayed that his understanding of negotiation is not what anyone would call cooperative or synergistic.
The ultimate school of thought on negotiation is explained by Harvard’s Roger Fisher and William Ury. In their book Getting to Yes (1992), they explain that negotiating is about reaching agreement without giving in. It is about two or more parties all saying yes to each other, not about trying to beat each other into submission in a zero-sum game. Donald Trump’s career has been very public and transparent regarding negotiation; it’s a safe bet he’s never read Getting to Yes.
Learn from history – or repeat it.
Trump demonstrated no understanding of history, like the importance of the Marshall Plan, the 1948 brainchild of Secretary of State George C. Marshall after World War II. It was clear that Europe needed bolstering, that it also represented huge partnership potential, and that the Soviet Union would be an immediate and growing threat. If that wasn’t enough to guide a different meeting than what took place, then there’s nothing but shoulder shrugging that can follow.
Whatever happened to decorum, civility, diplomacy,and simple manners?
No matter how far out of orbit a meeting may hurtle, there is no justification for the host to expel the guest, especially when that guest is – and has every reason to continue being – a strong strategic ally in an even more strategically critical region. But that’s exactly what happened. Zelenskyy was abruptly thrown out.
Into the waiting arms of the E.U.
But not 24 hours later, the world saw Volodymyr Zelenskyy stride with boundless energy from his motorcar outside 10 Downing Steet in London, into the warm bearhug of an embrace with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Without words, this scene said it all: We’ve got your back. Know who your friends are. The E.U.’s heads of state are flocking to London and will soon be receiving President Volodymyr Zeleenskyy in their capitals with open arms.
Quite metaphor and quite a difference from the horrifying scene in the Oval Office on Friday.
And that’s why, unless this is repaired – and repaired fast – the U.S. is the loser here.