Michael R. Gordon
Appearances
WSJ What’s News
Future Uncertain for Ukraine After Trump-Zelensky Meeting Implodes
Well, the significance of what happened today in the Oval Office is really quite striking. Throughout my decades of covering various negotiations with the Russians, I've A big lesson is that it's vital that the West be unified and pushing back on Russian aggression and pushing back on Russia's demands and negotiations.
WSJ What’s News
Future Uncertain for Ukraine After Trump-Zelensky Meeting Implodes
And what we saw in the Oval Office was a conspicuous display of disunity, not only between Ukraine and the Trump administration, but really implicitly Ukraine's European backers in the Trump administration.
WSJ What’s News
Future Uncertain for Ukraine After Trump-Zelensky Meeting Implodes
What happened this week was there was a concerted effort by the Europeans to try to pull President Trump away from Russian positions and talking points that he seemingly appeared to embrace a week or two ago and persuade him to support a plan in which there would be a peacekeeping force to secure any kind of settlement in Ukraine. President Macron was here on Monday.
WSJ What’s News
Future Uncertain for Ukraine After Trump-Zelensky Meeting Implodes
The British Prime Minister, Starmer, was here on Thursday. Last weekend, the Polish president was here. And what was supposed to have happened, according to the script, is Zelensky would come in. Reset relations with the Trump administration, which had been a big test. Make his appeal for security guarantees and sign an agreement on the sharing of proceeds from Ukraine's minerals.
WSJ What’s News
Future Uncertain for Ukraine After Trump-Zelensky Meeting Implodes
And this would solidify the West's position vis-a-vis the Russians. And what we saw was a diplomatic debacle.
WSJ What’s News
Future Uncertain for Ukraine After Trump-Zelensky Meeting Implodes
Well, it's a fast-moving situation. Just an hour or two after Zelensky was essentially kicked out of the White House, he's written a somewhat conciliatory tweet, and it's still possible some of the distrust between the two sides might be partially repaired. But it leaves a lot of things in flux. Is the United States going to continue Providing military support to Ukraine.
WSJ What’s News
Future Uncertain for Ukraine After Trump-Zelensky Meeting Implodes
How are they going to approach negotiations with the Russians if there's such disarray between the Ukrainian and American positions? What about the European plan to have what they call a reassurance force? All of that is now up in the air.
WSJ What’s News
Future Uncertain for Ukraine After Trump-Zelensky Meeting Implodes
And the Trump administration has shown a penchant to adjust its position rather quickly based on its sense of transactional diplomacy, what kind of deals can be cut, what kind of economic benefits can be obtained. I mean, threats are made on tariffs, threats are withdrawn on tariffs. Zelensky's evicted from the White House. Perhaps there'll be a future meeting.
WSJ What’s News
Future Uncertain for Ukraine After Trump-Zelensky Meeting Implodes
So I don't think we've had the last word on this as yet.