The author is honest.
Last Friday, Zelensky entered the White House for the third time to meet with Trump.
He did not wait for the Tomahawk missile he was longing for, but the White House broke out again.
Trump showdown to Zelensky: The red line drawn by Putin cannot be crossed, otherwise "Russia will destroy Ukraine."
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According to White House officials, the meeting between Zelensky and Trump was in a good atmosphere in the first half.
Trump first praised Zelensky's costume as fashionable, and said Zelensky was a strong leader, and the relationship between the two has been good.
But after getting down to business, the atmosphere of the meeting turned sharply. The two sides got into disputes over the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The two sides broke out fierce quarrels many times, which were even described as "constant scolding."
Zelensky wanted to provide the United States with tactical axis missiles, thereby using the long-range weapons to put pressure on military bases and logistical security sites in Russia, increasing its economic pressure.
The Ukrainian side now wants more than missiles, in Zelensky’s words, they need more weapons, hoping to change the trend of the Ukrainian army on the front.
But Trump was very tough in negotiations with Zelensky. When Zelensky showed him targets in Russia that Ukraine might attack if it obtained Tomahawk missiles, Trump threw the map aside.
Obviously, he was no longer interested in listening to Zelensky's plans. At least the United States had shelved the issue of providing Tomahawk missiles for the time being.
Trump tossed to Zelensky, asking Zelensky to hand over the entire Donbas region to Russia, which was a red line drawn by Putin when Trump and Putin spoke before, and the bottom line in which Russia agreed to end the conflict.
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This seems to Zelensky not an easy thing to accept, but it is a breakthrough for the U.S. side.
In April this year, the conditions put forward by the Russian side were that they would still have full control of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Helsinki.
Now that Putin has made concessions in the Donbas region (including the central, northern and southern parts of Donetsk), it is in the White House that Putin has made concessions, so Zelensky needs a clear attitude.
Trump has expressed strong support for Putin’s views and has repeatedly stressed Putin’s position to Zelensky.
The Financial Times that Trump urged Zelensky to accept the conditions put forward by Putin.
In Trump's view, Russia has the upper hand in this conflict, so if Kiev does not reach an agreement, Russia may "destroy Ukraine."
The U.S. has suggested that Russia and Ukraine stop front-line attacks and reach a peace deal. Trump suggested that Russia should draw the lines on the ground and then "secondly declare victory."
Regarding Trump’s proposal for the “King’s New Costume,” Zelensky refused to wear it.
In an interview with U.S. media, he said that Trump wants to promote a peace deal with Russia and needs to put more pressure on Russia, because Russia’s military power is located there, “Russia’s military is the second largest in the world,” so the U.S. must give enough pressure to Russia.
Among the methods to exert pressure, the Tomahawk missile is one of them.
But Trump did not agree to Zelensky's request. He must ensure that his arsenal is sufficient. If a peace agreement can be forged without providing missile support, this is what the United States hopes to see.
In the Republican view, Trump has played a significant role in the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, and he is "the only one who can peace through negotiations and end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and he is working in this direction."
Only, he needs some time.
However, Shaheen, a member of the Democratic Party of the United States, was very disappointed with Trump's performance. He believed that if the United States did not increase sanctions on Russia, Putin would only increase his bargaining chips step by step.
In fact, what makes Zelensky feel uncomfortable at present is that the Russian army has not yet occupied all Zaporizh and Kherson regions, nor has it fully controlled Donetsk.
If Putin's conditions are agreed, it means that Ukraine must give up large areas of territory, especially the territory currently under the control of the Ukrainian army, which is difficult for Zelensky to accept.
In the words of one European diplomat: "It's like selling them your legs and getting nothing."
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After Zelensky's rejection of Trump's request, Trump turned to hope that the Ukrainian army could make a ceasefire on the frontline and take the first step for both sides' peace talks, and the Ukrainian side did not respond explicitly.
Zelensky said that the conflict continues to this day because the conditions put forward by Russia make it difficult for Ukraine to accept.
During this time, the Russian army attacked Ukrainian infrastructure with drones and missiles, and of course, the Ukrainian drones were not vacant.
Zelensky believes that military pressure must be exerted on Putin in exchange for peace. He believes that the pressure exerted by the United States on Ukraine is greater than that exerted on Russia.
Trump has been reluctant to put pressure on Putin.
In the coming weeks, Putin and Trump will be in Hungary to discuss topics such as the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, currently U.S. Secretary of State Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov have passed, the two heads of state meet is only a matter of time.
Zelensky also expressed the desire to travel to Hungary to interview Trump and Putin, but whether Putin is willing to meet Zelensky is a big question.
From the Russian perspective, Zelensky currently does not have the "qualifications" and necessity to sit at the negotiating table. They need to negotiate with the US first, because the initiative is not with Ukraine.
Zelensky’s strongness and non-concession demonstrated his attitude towards resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, but this attitude required Western countries, especially the United States, to invest large amounts of military resources to maintain the balance of the front.
Because of this, Zelensky faced a relatively passive situation.
Now Putin has given him a way out, and it depends on how Zelensky responds.
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