What a difference a year makes. Last August, Vladimir Putin landed on U.S. soil with high hopes of reaching a favorable agreement.
The memory of the disastrous February meeting at the White House between President Zelenskyy, President Trump, and Vice President Vance was still fresh in everyone’s mind.
Russia was launching more drone attacks against Ukraine than at any stage of the war up to that point. Momentum appeared to be on Putin’s side.
Administration officials often noted that, sooner or later, Ukraine would need to make a deal. Bilateral relations were at a nadir.
Today, the war’s momentum has not only shifted in Ukraine’s favor, but U.S.-Ukrainian relations are also deepening rapidly.
Trump and Zelenskyy have worked through their differences. If a picture is worth a thousand words, last month’s photo of the presidents posing together with wide grins at the NATO Summit in Ankara says it all.
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.