As President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine headed into a high-stakes meeting in the Oval Office this week, Vice President JD Vance warned him to “behave.”
“Mr. President, so long as you behave, I won’t say anything,” Mr. Vance recounted to Fox News in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, adding that the Ukrainian leader chuckled in response.
It was not the first time that Mr. Vance had addressed Mr. Zelensky during a critical diplomatic summit with words more commonly spoken to toddlers than heads of state. In February, during a highly contentious Oval Office meeting with President Trump, Mr. Vance blasted Mr. Zelensky for being “disrespectful” and complained that he had not thanked the United States for the military assistance it had sent Ukraine to help in its war against a Russian invasion.
And even if Mr. Vance’s admonishment — and the overall tenor of Monday’s meeting — was more jovial this time around, it was a stark reminder of how much of Ukraine’s fate may be riding on Mr. Zelensky looking and acting in a manner Mr. Trump appreciates.
On Monday, it appeared that Mr. Zelensky, who was a successful actor and comedian before he became a wartime president, had figured out the part he had to play.
During the meeting, three days after Mr. Trump met in Alaska with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Mr. Zelensky showered the U.S. leader with praise for his personal efforts to end the war. He did not challenge Mr. Trump over the state of the conflict or the terms of the unfolding peace process, despite their public differences over issues like territory loss. Instead, Mr. Zelensky focused on where they agreed — and let Mr. Trump do the bulk of the talking.
Perhaps most importantly, Mr. Zelensky also donned a suit for the occasion, earning him sartorial praise from Mr. Trump — and a chance to rib a right-wing correspondent who derided the military-style shirt and cargo pants he wore during his last Oval Office meeting, to Mr. Trump’s apparent delight.
Mr. Zelensky’s approach was not as obsequious as the tactics other global leaders in crisis have adopted in recent visits to Mr. Trump’s White House. Earlier this month, for example, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan endorsed Mr. Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize as they signed a pledge aimed at ending their nearly four-decade-long conflict in part by creating an economic corridor through Armenia named after Mr. Trump.
Still, the Ukrainian leader’s mien, which was mirrored by European leaders who also took pains to praise Mr. Trump as they met with the two presidents on Monday, appeared to inject new optimism into the peace process. Ukraine emerged with the promise of security guarantees and an opportunity for an influx of weapons; Mr. Trump came out predicting a trilateral meeting with Mr. Putin, which would advance his credentials as a global peacemaker.
How much those next steps will work in Ukraine’s favor, however, may depend on whether Mr. Zelensky remains in Mr. Trump’s good graces. Just days after their February meeting, Mr. Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine. Several months later, he thought the better of a separate weapons freeze to Ukraine, resuming shipments after growing frustrated with Mr. Putin for what he described as “meaningless” efforts toward peace.