Image source, Take
-
- Author, Myroslava Petsa
- Author's title, BBC News Ucrania
Never, nor in my wildest dreams, I thought that Donald Trump was going to send greetings to my husband. But that was what happened this week – before the world – at the NATO summit in The Hague.
The funny thing is that, before the press conference of the resident Trump, I was very upset for not being able to accredit with other journalists for a meeting he was going to have with his Ukrainian couple, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Before the summit, I could not know that the accredited press would be prevented from filming the meeting, or even seeing the leaders.
I ran to a different scenario in which he was scheduled that President Trump gave a press conference later in the day. There were hundreds of journalists from all over the world waiting for him.
Although I had my questions ready in my mind, I thought I had very few chances of actually formulating them. But nothing is impossible.
In February, during his meeting with President Zelensky in the Oval office, I asked President Trump two questions: about his willingness to continue providing weapons to Ukraine if a quick peace is not reached (the answer was yes), and what would he do if Russian President Vladimir Putin broke a high fire (the answer was: “What would happen if anything? What would happen if a bomb would fall on your head now?”
So I started taking my black jacket so that President Trump could see me between the sea of dark costumes that filled the enclosure. Then, I began to approach the stage.
After that, I kept raising my hand, waiting for him to realize. At one point, he did.
I asked my question about Patriot Air Defense Systems and if the US was willing to sell them to Ukraine at a time when Russia was intensifying its bombings on cities of Ukraine.
The aerial defense has become a priority for Ukraine, particularly when Russia has killed numerous civilians in Kyiv, Dnipro and Odesa in recent days.
“Very considered and polite”
Image source, Take
Last year, the Biden administration prioritized the sending of these interceptor missiles but Ukraine urgently needs new supplies.
So I was waiting for a direct answer to my question. But before answering, Trump asked me if I was living in Ukraine. I replied that no, that now I live in Warsaw, but that my husband does.
He brought me up if he was a soldier and told him yes.
I was not prepared to speak openly about my personal problems with the most powerful man in the world. It was never my plan.
But in our conversation, Trump was very considered and polite. He publicly recognized how difficult this was for me. It showed that it was moved.
So he continued asking questions about me and my family, as if for the first time I could see a common Ukrainian whose life was affected by war and was using the opportunity to have a free conversation about the subject, in front of millions of people.
Image source, Jim Lo Scalzo / Pool / EPA-EFE / REX / Shutterstock
Application for weapons
Finally, President Trump acknowledged that Kyiv was requesting weapons from Washington and that he was going to try to happen. But there was more.
When President Trump finally asked me to send a greeting to my husband, who has been defending Ukraine since the second day of the large -scale invasion, I felt completely overwhelmed.
I felt as if I were recognizing the personal price that my family has been paying in this war and were trying to reassure me.
Remembering our exchange, I know that this conversation meant not only for me, but also for my compatriots in Ukraine.
I suspect that many in Ukraine hope that something has also meant for President Trump.
Subscribe here To our new newsletter to receive every Friday a selection of our best content of the week.
And remember that you can receive notifications in our app. Download the latest version and act.
