Donald Trump the president is still Donald Trump the businessman.
For the president of the United States, everything is transactional, even the business of ending the war in Ukraine.
Under the agreement, he wants Ukraine to grant America access to its mineral and oil resources as payback for wartime aid.
This deal-making approach aligns with his broader foreign policy perspective, emphasising economic gains.
President Trump gives a thumbs-up as he arrives at the White House after speaking at a conservative conference. Pic: AP
A source close to the negotiations has told Sky News that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not ready to sign up and that there are “problematic issues” with the draft.
But that didn’t stop President Trump telling the largest conservative gathering of the year in Washington that they’re “pretty close to a deal”.
It’s classic brinkmanship – giving the impression that agreement is close, thus making the other party look obstructive if they delay.
Having campaigned on a promise to end the war in 24 hours, the man who has been president for a month needs a resolution.
But at what price? Recognising Russia‘s control over occupied Ukrainian territory? Postponing Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations?
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French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will defend Ukraine’s sovereignty when they meet the US president at the White House next week.
The administration’s perceived alignment with Russian interest, ending eight decades of foreign policy, has stunned European leaders.
Their problem might be that they find a businessman, not a politician, when they reach the Oval Office.
Donald Trump does not do diplomacy, and in boardroom politics, there is always an economic interest.