What will the Trump-Zelensky meeting bring?
On the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral, US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky met in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday to discuss the war in Ukraine. While the White House described the meeting as "very productive", Zelensky said it had the potential to become historic. Commentators debate whether their talk could be a turning point.
The pictures say it all
For Večer the photos of Trump and Zelensky in private talks as well as with Macron and Starmer speak volumes:
“The first one because it points to a thawing of relations between the American and the Ukrainian heads of state; the second, because it gives hope that Europe is gradually taking on a mediating role in the Ukrainian crisis. Europe as a continent, France and the UK as permanent members of the UN security council and the only western European nuclear powers - but not the EU. On the Ukraine issue, the US president is putting his trust in London and Paris – because he distrusts Brussels on account of Ursula von der Leyen's weak political position. Moreover, the hopes that Giorgia Meloni could play a central role in the talks between the EU and the US have now been dashed - she can hardly count on broad support in Europe.”
Please accept Francis's farewell gift
Népszava was also struck by a picture taken in Rome:
“Namely, the photo of British Prime Minister Starmer and French President Macron taking Zelensky under their wing, Macron's hand on the Ukrainian president's shoulder, while Trump looks on with a resigned expression, as if to say: 'If that's what you really want, let it be so' ... For the sake of finally re-establishing order, the US government would be willing to leave Crimea and the occupied parts of the four Ukrainian oblasts to the Russians. Ukraine and Europe, on the other hand, don't want to give them up and are holding out the prospect of further economic sanctions. ... Let's hope that we can look back on the meeting in the Vatican as a farewell gift from Francis.”
Irreconcilable differences
Le Monde sees only irreconcilable differences:
“The proposal put forward by the US generally favours Russia: it recognises de jure the annexation of Crimea as well as de facto Russia's control of the Ukrainian territories it has conquered in the south and the east; it rules out Ukraine's NATO membership. ... The European-Ukrainian proposal, on the other hand, is to discuss questions of territory only once a total ceasefire has been implemented, and there is no mention of recognising Russian control. ... Trump told Time magazine that Russia would keep Crimea, 'Zelensky understands that,' he added. Nothing could be further from the truth. For Ukraine and for the Europeans, recognising the annexation of Crimea would be tantamount to questioning the foundations of European security.”
A symbolic image of harmony
Echo24 offers a ray of hope:
“Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky sit together under the dome of St. Peter's Basilica on ordinary chairs, alone, undisturbed, talking to each other. Nearby lies the coffin of the late Pope Francis, who was to be buried shortly afterwards and who officially worked in Europe but came from America - albeit South America. So much symbolism gathered in one moment. This is an image of hope, of faith in miracles and people's ability to talk to each other. Weeks after the last meeting between the two politicians in the White House, where they quarreled in front of the whole world, this is a counterpoint: defined not by arrogance but by modesty and silence.”
Don't read too much into it
The Süddeutsche Zeitung warns against jumping to conclusions:
“The picture is having such a great impact because it resonates with hope: in the spirit of Francis, peace could emerge in Ukraine. But does the picture really show that? Only the two of them know what was said at that moment. What becomes of it remains to be seen. But both these things are of secondary importance for the impact of the picture. Seeing can also mean reading too much into it.”
There will be no miracle
La Stampa doesn't believe that a just peace is any closer:
“It's hard to imagine that Zelensky has managed to undermine the rapprochement between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. ... Yes, it's true that after the meeting in St. Peter's Basilica Trump had harsher words than usual for Putin. He criticised the Russian missiles fired at Ukrainian civilians, said he had been mocked by the Kremlin chief and hinted at new sanctions against Moscow. But we know that it's all too easy for Putin to smooth things over with Trump and restore relations with Washington while the war continues. In short, it's difficult to cherish hopes of a miracle in which Trump champions a just peace in Ukraine.”
Concrete action must follow
For Večernji list the US president's statements should be viewed with caution:
“Did Donald Trump have an unexpected epiphany at the Vatican? After countless statements repeating the Kremlin narrative on the reasons for and consequences of the war in Ukraine, Trump said after Saturday's conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in St. Peter's Basilica that Russian President Putin 'may just be tapping me along' and may 'not want to stop the war', indicating a change in rhetoric. ... Nevertheless, in Trump's case, especially because of his previous sympathies for Russia, any real change in his position should be backed up by concrete actions, and random statements are not enough.”
The Kremlin may have miscalculated
In a Facebook post republished by Espreso, political scientist Vadym Denysenko speculates on the conversation between Trump and Zelensky:
“After yesterday's talk, it appears that the Kremlin is afraid that the ball is now in Russia's court and that it will have to agree to the US proposals on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and withdrawal from the Kharkiv region. ... As far as I understand it, Russia's plan was simple: Ukraine would reject the proposals on Crimea, which would mean that Russia would not have to publicly declare that it agreed with all the other points of the plan. It seems that during the talk with Trump some wording on Crimea was found that may be acceptable to both the US and us.”