Seven European leaders hurried to Washington to accompany Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a meeting with Donald Trump, signaling a coordinated diplomatic effort. The leaders represented Europe's economic and military weight and had established rapport with the US president. Their presence aimed to prevent a repeat of Trump's earlier embrace of Vladimir Putin and to blunt any US shift toward pro-Russian positions. The European bloc sought to protect Ukraine and deter further Russian aggression by demonstrating unity, offering flattery to smooth tensions, and leveraging their collective influence during high-stakes talks in the Oval Office.
It was dubbed the Great European Charm Offensive. Hours before Volodymyr Zelenskyy headed to Washington for a Monday meeting with Donald Trump, announcements came pouring in from across Europe, making it clear that the president of Ukraine would not be going alone. Instead, seven European heavyweights a dream team of leaders representing Europe's economic and military heft and who had a proven rapport with the US president hastily cleared their schedules to join Zelenskyy in Washington.
The result was a meeting set to become among the oddest in modern diplomacy, Simon McDonald, former permanent under secretary at the Foreign Office, wrote in the Guardian. Their scramble hinted at just how much was at stake. Days earlier, Trump had met with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, rolling out the red carpet for a man wanted by the international criminal court for war crimes.
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