Trump being pressured to meet with Zelenskyy — Analyst
European NATO members secured Zelenskyy’s invitation to the summit, which Trump tried to avoid.
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy / © Associated Press
The planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit is the result of pressure from European allies.
This opinion was expressed by Head of the Center of United Actions, politician, civic activist, and former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European Integration Oleh Rybachuk — on the air of «Kyiv 24.»
Reasons behind Trump’s shift
According to the expert, President Trump initially tried to avoid meeting with Zelenskyy, possibly as he did during the G7 summit. However, Rybachuk noted that the American team likely «lost several such battles with the organizers of the G7 and later with NATO,» since both the G7 and the majority of NATO countries insisted on addressing the issue of Ukraine.
Rybachuk emphasized that European NATO members defended Zelenskyy’s invitation to the summit, despite attempts from the White House to exclude him altogether. Even the invitation to dinner from the King of the Netherlands — the summit’s host — became a factor that made it impossible for Trump to avoid the meeting.
The politician believes Trump «very clearly sensed» the position of the NATO Secretary General and the majority of member countries. For the sitting U.S. President, simply walking away to avoid Zelenskyy would have been «a very strange, weak, and foreboding move.»
Importance of the meeting for Ukraine
Oleh Rybachuk stressed the importance of this meeting, as the decisions made at the NATO summit relate not only to Ukraine’s defense but also to the funding of its defense budget through NATO. He noted that European countries decided that aid to Ukraine would count as part of member states’ defense spending. This means that Ukraine is essentially receiving defense funding as part of Europe’s defense budget.
«Zelenskyy is our biggest diplomatic „nuclear weapon“ right now, and that’s why this meeting is so important for us, ” Rybachuk concluded, highlighting the strategic significance of the Ukrainian President’s presence at such international platforms.