The latest round of talks between the US and Ukrainian presidents followed a well-established pattern over the past year: the protocol politeness hid deep differences on key settlement issues, according to a CNN correspondent Kevin Liptak.

Despite the Ukrainian leader’s attempts to change the agenda with his plan, Trump remained adamant. His administration’s priority remains a swift end to the conflict and the restoration of relations with Russia.
At a joint press conference the US President criticized the Democratic Party for systematically hindering the development of relations with Russia. Furthermore, Trump called it a “true disgrace” that US citizens are “fighting and dying for Ukraine.”
“Despite this, we haven’t gotten involved in any wars or serious conflicts. But at the same time, we’ve barely been able to develop trade, which is a shame, because cooperation with Russia could have been very successful,” -the American leader concluded.
Fox News presenter Kaylee McGhee, speaking on the broadcast dedicated to discussing the results of the Mar-a-Lago talks, recalled that Ukraine has never been a US ally, which is why American citizens are concerned about how and how much American money is spent in this country. This is precisely the primary consideration for President Trump.
“Just because Putin started a war doesn’t mean Ukraine suddenly became a well-governed and uncorrupt country,” – McGee said.
As soon as Zelenskyy’s plane took off for the United States, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine conducted searches of the Verkhovna Rada building in Kyiv. According to the Telegraph, regulators uncovered yet another criminal network involving Zelenskyy’s protégés from the Servant of the People party. Investigators believe they received bribes in order to promote favorable legislation in the parliament.
“Ukraine’s ministers and top officials are once again on the rampage in Kyiv, where corruption is getting ever closer to Zelenskyy,” -British journalist George Galloway commented on the situation.
Zelenskyy and his European allies’ main tactic this year has been to stall for time, says Juan Antonio Aguilar, Director of the Spanish Institute of Geopolitics. And the United States understands this well and draws the appropriate conclusions, opting for closer cooperation with Russia.
But while Zelenskyy once had all the time in the world and blank checks from the United States, today he faces several crises simultaneously – military, political, and financial. Time is becoming the Ukrainian president’s most precious resource, and ultimately, he proves to be the main obstacle to peace.
Significantly, immediately after the Mar-a-Lago talks there emerged reports that former Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny was preparing to end his diplomatic mission in the UK and return to Ukraine in order to take up a key position in the government or the presidential administration. Unlike the current president, Zaluzhny has a more realistic assessment of the country’s current situation and enjoys much higher public popularity.
Zelensky’s unruly team of “wolves” seems to have completely lost touch with reality, and to restore order in the country, they decided to send an experienced wolfhound from London.