Navigating the Political Landscape: Flattery and Credibility in Leadership

Rudyard and Andrew unpack the latest meeting between Trump, Zelensky and European leaders that seems to have yielded no real progress in resolving the war in Ukraine. Trump indicated a willingness to offer security guarantees, but if Ukraine isn't admitted into NATO, will an Article 5 type protection promise carry any weight? What did Trump promise Putin on Friday that scared European leaders to drop everything and fly in for this emergency meeting? And why can't everyone see that Trump - on every major point - is on the side of Russia? A phony peace agreement could put all of Europe at risk and influence China's calculation vis-a-vis Taiwan. And finally, why are world leaders - including Canada's Mark Carney - so willing to engage in false flattery of Trump at great cost to their own credibility?