WHEN ZELENSKYY RETURNS: DIPLOMACY, DANGER, AND EUROPE’S SHOW OF SOLIDARITY

An Emirati Magazine publication – Released on August 18,2025 | www.emiratimagazine.com

Six months after his humiliating Oval Office visit, Volodymyr Zelenskyy returns to Washington under dramatically different circumstances. Then, Donald Trump dismissed him with a warning to “come back when ready for peace.” Now, flanked by European leaders, the Ukrainian president faces a far more delicate test: making his case without triggering another rupture.

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Trump’s recent Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin set off alarms across Europe. Instead of pushing for a ceasefire, Trump floated a “direct peace agreement,” hinting at territorial concessions and ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine. For Kyiv, such terms echo broken promises of the past and risk rewarding aggression.

To avoid isolation, European leaders—Macron, Starmer, Merz, Meloni, Stubb, von der Leyen, and others—have joined Zelenskyy at the White House. Their presence signals unity and mistrust of Trump’s backchannel with Moscow. For Zelenskyy, it is a second chance: balancing diplomacy with defiance to safeguard Ukraine’s future.