OPINION - What a powerful picture it was. On the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky sitting and talking. One on One. Tete-a-Tete. No aides, no staffers, no handlers or gaggle of reporters looking over their shoulders and trying to influence the discussion. Even in death, Pope Francis had given the president of the most powerful country in the world and the president of a country that is fighting for its existence a moment to speak at a critical time – not only for Ukraine, but also for the entire world.
There is no doubt that in recent months, Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried to convince Trump that he and his American counterpart have a lot in common. Playing to Trump’s desire to bring an end to the bloody war in Ukraine, Putin claims that he is ready to discuss terms for an agreement, and he has offered ceasefires that he then violates. President Trump is seeing that Putin is unwilling to make the concessions or compromises needed to secure an agreement to end the war, and that his claims of sharing Trump’s desire for peace are insincere.
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It is in fact Zelensky who has a lot in common with President Trump. Both men were political “outsiders” when they first ran for office, and both shocked many in the “establishments” of their countries when they were elected. Both share the experience of Moscow trying to manipulate the elections that brought them to power, in order to sow disorder and division in their countries. Both ran for office because they saw a need for new approaches to solving the challenges facing their countries, and both have faced significant opposition from within the bureaucracies and vested interests of their respective countries. Both have had their lives threatened by assassins and both continue to accept significant risks as they try to do the things they believe their constituents elected them to do.
President Trump and President Zelensky share something else in common. They are both fighters who refuse to back down or surrender to their opponents.
Finally, the U.S. and Ukrainian Presidents share one more critically important thing in common. They share a common responsibility to continue fighting to protect liberty and freedom from those who, like Putin, wish to impose their will on others. There is hope that their private discussion in the Vatican reminded them both of how much they have in common.
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