- 28
- Feb.
- 2025
Seven minutes that will leave a lasting mark on diplomatic history. Live, before the world’s cameras, Donald Trump tore into his guest, Volodymyr Zelensky. "You don’t have the cards in your hands." "Without our support, your fate would have been sealed in two weeks." "You’re playing at World War III."
Faced with an utterly unfazed American president, Zelensky’s khaki uniform no longer carried the aura of a wartime leader.
The astonishing footage showed Zelensky perched on the edge of his seat, literally being berated—there’s simply no other way to describe it. A scene unprecedented in the typically more subdued world of diplomacy.
Afterward, Donald Trump ended the meeting, canceled the joint press conference, and scrapped the signing of the much- anticipated minerals deal. Like a schoolboy thrown out of class, Zelensky was forced to leave the White House. Kicked out. Simply astonishing!
The footage stunned the world. The most powerful man on earth delivering a sharp scolding to a head of state. Journalists were left in disbelief, expecting to be kicked out at any moment. But no! The American president allowed the cameras to capture what a meeting with someone who crossed him looked like.
For as long as anyone can remember, diplomacy has been about flashing smiles in public while often engaging in heated exchanges behind closed doors, far from cameras and photographers. For the first time, we witnessed a confrontation in public and live.
Seven minutes that will continue to make headlines. Was it a carefully orchestrated "media stunt"? Or was it truly an uncontrollable slip-up? The second scenario seems the least likely.
That said, the message was received loud and clear by all heads of state. Except for Vladimir Putin, who is most likely relishing the moment and replaying the footage on loop, every leader on the planet now knows two things should precede any meeting with Donald Trump: A yoga session and an anti-anxiety pill.
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