Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s facial expression has gone viral after he made a joint appearance with the US’s negotiation team.
The Ukrainian president spoke to the media alongside Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff in Dublin amid a new push from America to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Tensions between the US and Ukraine continue to grow as the White House is still trying to force Kyiv into a peace deal with its Russian aggressor, no matter the cost.
Russia has also revived its hardline calls for an overhaul of Europe’s security.
While Kushner said they had “good discussions” about a prisoner of war exchange, and have set up some plans to include European representatives in future negotiations, Zelenskyy looked crestfallen.
Just one video of his face quickly accumulated more than 2.2 million views in less than 24 hours.
Other social media users also spotted his expression, saying: “This is what it looks like when you have to suffer a fool.”
Kushner and Witkoff promised to include delegates from the European Union in the next round of talks amid growing security concerns for the continent and Ukraine’s plan to one day become a member of the bloc.
They also revealed the warring countries would undergo the largest prisoner exchange since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, though details are yet to be confirmed.
But, Kushner and Witkoff had just had confirmation from Vladimir Putin in Moscow that he was still not willing to compromise on his demands from Ukraine.
Russia soon contradicted the claim Europe could be part of the peace negotiations, too.
The Russian president controls approximately a fifth of Ukraine’s sovereign land, but he wants more.
Putin is trying to push Kyiv into giving up the remaining parts of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas – which it cannot seize by force – in negotiations with the US.
At the same time, Zelenskyy has repeatedly expressed concerns about the Ukraine’s restricted access to Elon Musk’s Starlink’s military-grade satellite service, Starshield.
That means Kyiv could not efficiently intercept Russian drones.
On Friday, Zelenskyy said: “We still have no clear explanations. I instructed Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence to step up contacts with the US Department of State, the Pentagon, and SpaceX to obtain clarification and resolve the situation.”
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has warned that Russia is “setting traps” for Ukraine with these talks, too.
The Kremlin said on Friday: “Once we understand [Europe’s] real intentions and their willingness to contribute to the peace process, then we can make a decision on holding talks in an expanded format.”
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