Will Trump change his stance on Ukraine after meeting Zelenskyy? Expert analysis
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US presidential candidate Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is skilled at persuading people, which likely explains Ukraine's initiative to seek a meeting with US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, stated political analyst Ihor Reyterovych, head of political and legal programs at the Ukrainian Center for Social Development, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine's YouTube channel.
"I wouldn't underestimate our President's ability to convince anyone. The experience of 2.5 years of full-scale war has shown that when Zelenskyy travels somewhere and meets with someone, especially when he establishes good relations with that person, he can persuade them to do something they previously didn’t want to do. I think this is directly related to the initiative on our side to meet with Trump," the analyst said.
He also noted that a phone conversation is one thing, but an in-person meeting, especially if part of it is held behind closed doors, is a different matter. He recalled that there had been a not-so-positive experience with a previous phone call.
"Trump is known to be a rather straightforward person in conversations, and this straightforwardness could work in our favor. Because clearly, the president will have some additional arguments that he can present to Trump. Of course, Ukraine won’t declare that ‘we believe in you’ or ‘we support you’ - that would be the wrong approach. Whoever wins, wins. But presenting additional arguments in a personal conversation is much easier than doing it through intermediaries or over the phone," Reyterovych emphasized.
Today, September 27, Trump decided to meet with the President of Ukraine. During the meeting, Trump even praised Zelenskyy's actions.
More details about this and how Ukraine found itself in the spotlight of the US elections can be found in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
