Photo of destroyed cathedral and Macron's diplomacy helped sway Trump to Ukraine's side – Politico
Kyiv • UNN
Macron convinced Trump to support Ukraine after Zelenskyy showed a photo of the damaged Assumption Cathedral in Kyiv. G7 leaders adapted their messages to Trump's view of global politics.
French President Emmanuel Macron managed to persuade US President Donald Trump to take a more favorable stance toward Ukraine after a series of diplomatic efforts at the summit in France. The decisive moment was a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who showed Trump photos of the Assumption Cathedral in Kyiv damaged by a Russian strike. According to diplomats, this made a strong impression on the American leader. POLITICO reports this, citing UNN.
Details
The decisive moment at the G7 leaders' summit in France came on Tuesday when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky brought images of the burning Assumption Cathedral in Kyiv and showed them to Donald Trump.
According to three G7 officials, the sight of the burning golden domes and the damage inflicted by a Russian airstrike on the 11th-century architectural treasure visibly moved the US president.
They felt that Zelensky's intervention was likely the final push that led Trump to firmly support Ukraine in the joint declaration on Wednesday.
"I think he was genuinely moved,"
However, as the publication writes, it was Macron, as the host, who managed the summit and precisely devised how to address the unpredictable American leader.
Initially, it was thought that the summit in Évian-les-Bains could already be considered a success if the US president did not leave it early. But in the end, Macron achieved an unexpected breakthrough, convincing Donald Trump to take a more favorable stance toward Ukraine and support further military aid to the country.
When it came to persuading him on the issue of Ukraine, Macron led a dinner of other G7 leaders on Monday evening, where they adapted their messages to Trump's view of global power politics, portraying Ukraine as the winner and Russia as defeated in the final stage of the war.
The G7 leaders, gathered for dinner on Monday, admiring Lake Geneva, discussed the Middle East in detail and, strategically, lavishly praised Trump's deal with Iran.
"They all explained together to Trump that Zelensky is winning because Russia... cannot cross the front line and is even losing territory. And Russia continues to attack civilians and holy sites,"
However, the publication, citing diplomats, noted that there is, of course, no guarantee that Macron's efforts this week will not be undone by a single phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"But at least for now, French diplomats can breathe easier, having avoided potential failures and setbacks that could have derailed the last major diplomatic meeting that Macron is expected to host,"
Recall
The Group of Seven countries adopted a decision to increase pressure on the Russian economy to limit Moscow's ability to continue the war against Ukraine.