Relations between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump are so tense that French media are reporting that the US president allegedly considered canceling his Ukrainian counterpart's visit, only to be dissuaded by French President Emmanuel Macron, reports The Guardian.
BFMTV, citing diplomatic sources, reported that Trump's team informed Ukraine on Wednesday that the meeting would be canceled, prompting Zelensky to reach out to Macron, who intervened on his behalf.
In the end, the invitation was back on the table, so Zelensky is expected to visit the White House today, but the atmosphere will definitely be tense by the end of the meeting, as there are many potential issues that could jeopardize the talks.
However, it is interesting how Trump's attitude towards Zelensky changed after his meeting last night with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer: for him, the Ukrainian leader was no longer a "dictator", but rather the American president praised him.
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There are mixed reactions in the European media today about the minerals agreement that Trump and Zelensky are expected to sign.
German magazine Spiegel, commenting on Starmer's visit to the White House, joked that every meeting with Trump has "the potential to cause tension," because observers "never know how it will end." "Will he want to annex, integrate, buy something? Or just change the name?" the article reads.
Regarding the minerals agreement, it is stated that it is increasingly clear that the agreement is not just about minerals, but "primarily about how they want to shape their relationship under President Trump."
Similarly, France's Le Monde said the deal was only "a first step before a comprehensive agreement" but "remains a means of getting closer to the American president."
However, not everyone is optimistic.
Denmark's Berlingske criticized the proposed deal in harsher terms, noting that its logic could be seen as "a great disloyalty to the allies in Europe, who collectively made a greater contribution to the war than the US."
It is stated that the current draft still better reflects the real situation than the initial proposal, but caution is urged.
"The difference between the minerals agreement and Trump's rhetoric is almost too good to be true. Therefore, there is one message to Ukraine on the day Trump and President Zelensky are supposed to sign the agreement: Don't trust him," the Danish newspaper writes.
Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza also praised Zelensky for rejecting the initial draft agreement, saying it was more reminiscent of historical forms of extortion between colonizers and colonized.
"Zelensky has not caved in to Trump's threats and is defending the country's interests, negotiating firmly with the new administration," the article states.
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