Washington – Al Jazeera Net experienced the atmosphere of the exceptional Washington summit held yesterday, Monday, which brought together US President Donald Trump with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders through its presence inside the White House. Al Jazeera Net recorded a record coverage – hundreds of journalists – for the event that was hastily arranged during the two days prior. Among the most important scenes of the summit were what happened inside and outside the meeting rooms, where hundreds of Ukraine supporters protested outside the White House, demanding continued US support. Zelensky arrived at the White House wearing a formal black suit instead of the military attire he had been accustomed to since the war began, which was a notable difference from his previous meeting with Trump in February.

Inside the Oval Office, Brian Glenn, chief White House correspondent for the conservative ‘Real America’s Voice’ website, praised the suit, saying, “First of all, President Zelensky, you look great in that suit,” to which Trump added, “I said the same thing.” Zelensky replied, “You are wearing the same suit,” and smiles and laughter erupted in the room, including from the US president. The Ukrainian president joked, telling the journalist, “You have changed, you haven’t, you’re wearing the same suit.” Glenn had embarrassed Zelensky in the February meeting when he questioned him about his public attire, which included a dark green military jacket, asking, “Why don’t you wear a suit?

You sit with the highest level in the most important office in this country and refuse to wear a suit, do you own one?” The meeting yesterday began with some high-level compliments, with Zelensky profusely thanking Trump for his efforts to end the conflict and praising First Lady Melania Trump for sending a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding kidnapped Ukrainian children, delivering a speech to Melania and asking Trump to convey it to her, amid smiles from those present in the Oval Office. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform the ‘peace message’ from the First Lady, which was hand-delivered to Putin at the Alaska summit last Friday. During their meeting, the US president showed Zelensky a map showing the percentage of Ukrainian areas occupied by Russia.

Zelensky seemed to acknowledge the map during a later meeting with Trump and European leaders, mentioning that he explained the battlefield details on it, saying, “Thank you for the map,” to which Trump replied, “Good map,” and the Ukrainian president sarcastically said, “I’m thinking about how to recover it,” with Trump responding, “You will get one.” It is believed there is a message behind showing the map in the Oval Office, reminding of Trump’s conviction that Russia will retain control over Ukrainian territories, and the issue of Kyiv conceding these lands is one of the main points of disagreement between the US and European sides. Trump preceded the meeting by posting a tweet on Truth Social saying, “Zelensky can end the war almost immediately if he agrees to many demands, including not returning Crimea,” referring to the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.

After about six months of reprimanding him in the same room for ingratitude, Zelensky thanked Trump three times in his initial statements in the Oval Office yesterday, then later thanked him for allowing Europe to purchase US-made weapons on behalf of his country. In his second media talk in the East Room, he described his conversation with Trump as constructive and specific, the best the two leaders have had. The US president praised his Ukrainian counterpart in statements before their private meeting, a tone completely different from their clash in the Oval Office last February when Trump and his deputy JD Vance criticized him for insisting on security guarantees. Trump then requested a $50 billion share in the Ukrainian drone industry that would guarantee some gains for the United States, as Kyiv has built a large industry for these drones since the war with Russia began.

Zelensky offered to purchase US weapons and equipment worth $100 billion with financial assistance from European partners, and estimates indicate that Trump seemed to have a positive response.