Zelensky wants what Trump gave Israel - more weapons

The worldwide delusion that Donald Trump’s bizarre approach to diplomacy has delivered a ceasefire - or even “peace” - in Gaza is being enthusiastically embraced by Ukraine’s president as he prepares for a White House meeting this week.

- SAM KILEY WORLD AFFAIR EDITOR IN KYIV

It suits Volodymyr Zelensky to join the chorus of world leaders praising Trump for having pushed Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire rather than point out the truth, which is that the Israeli prime minister had no further need of war.

In Trump's words to the Knesset, Netanyahu had “won” in Gaza.

The US president spelled out how that was possible. And Zelensky wants to win too.

Trump said: “We make the best weapons in the world, and we’ve got a lot of them, and we’ve given a lot to Israel, frankly, and Bibi [Netanyahu] would call me so many times. ‘Can you get me this weapon, that weapon, that weapon,’ some of them I never heard of, Bibi, and I made them, but we'd get them here, wouldn't we?

“And they are the best. You obviously use them very well, but so many that Israel became strong and powerful, which ultimately led to peace. That's what led to peace.”

It’s debatable whether Trump could have forced Netanyahu to end his campaign in Gaza earlier by cutting off weapons supplies when he came into office. Israel was still fighting to destroy Hamas and continuing its campaign in Gaza, flattening the enclave, bombing hospitals and restricting humanitarian aid amid widespread allegations of genocide.