A political catastrophe on live TV

The cruelty of his attack on Zelensky was made worse by the still-lingering scent of the preceding 24 hours, when Keir Starmer had been Trump’s guest at the White House. The atmosphere of that visit had been one of delirious bonhomie. The two of them had laughed for the cameras, smiled, joshed back and forth, and Starmer had capped it all by producing his great scene-stealing letter from the King, inviting Trump for an “unprecedented” second state visit to Britain.

A day later, the good humour and grace had gone. Trump’s mood had curdled. The Ukrainian president was treated as an adversary – an enemy. He and Trump were meant to be discussing and perhaps even signing a “minerals deal”, by which the US would gain access to Ukraine’s enormous reserves of metals, rare earths and other deposits. These materials are crucial ingredients in the construction of batteries, electric motors and more besides – all the stuff that US tech companies need. Tech companies such as Tesla, for example.

On the face of it, the deal proposed by Trump was a simple act of extortion: we will help your country to survive if you give us your natural resources. But Zelensky still went to the White House. A man who has led his country through years of war, who did not run away when the Russian army invaded and when missiles began to strike Kyiv, went to Washington to discuss the appalling deal.

The sight of him being insulted by the pampered socialite and his courtesans was horrifying. But the moment of confrontation was inevitable. Trump and Zelensky were always bound to come to this point, because, for whatever reason, Trump will always take Russia’s side.

But there is another reason why this blow-up was always bound to happen. Trump has repeatedly insisted that the US has given Ukraine the majority of its military assistance, which is incorrect. As Zelensky pointed out, it is Europe that has given the most help. Trump didn’t like being corrected in this way and the two men descended into bickering.

In Trump’s mind, Ukraine is only fighting because of American help. It is only able to act on account of America. That makes it nothing but an extension of American power. And that’s the point – Trump appears to see Ukraine as a proxy. 

What Trump discovered in the course of a fractious day at the White House was that his proxy wasn’t going to do as it was told. Trump had brought Zelensky to the White House to take instructions and he had been rebuffed. The proxy wasn’t.

In a way, it was a mirror of another failed political relationship: the one between Biden and Netanyahu. Different men, different circumstances and very different wars, but the recipient of US support – Israel – was leaned on by a US president, Biden, to change tactics in Gaza, and was rebuffed. Netanyahu had no intention of paying any attention to Biden. 

At least the Biden-Netanyahu fallout happened behind closed doors. But this horrendous spectacle took place on live television, which is surely a first for a diplomatic collapse of this magnitude. The shock of Zelensky’s defiance was so great that Trump cancelled the planned joint press conference and immediately asked his visitor to leave. 

It was a petty thing to do – and for all his posturing and social media blustering, it was a huge loss for Trump. He has always prided himself on being a dealmaker, but he had his “minerals deal” thrown back in his face. Throughout the campaign he repeatedly claimed he would end the Ukraine War. That now looks unlikely. He has come off looking not only graceless and cruel, but also impotent.

But it was a terrible blow for Zelensky, and for Ukraine. Though the US is not its largest backer, the loss of American support will put enormous strain on Kyiv. And the thought that Trump is now on Putin’s side in this war will send a chill across Europe’s capitals. And China is watching