And so Volodymyr Zelensky returned to the White House, but this time with a phalanx of European leaders to support him – and, perhaps, to make sure the orange toddler didn't get upset.

For his part, Trump played nice, despite talking with Putin mid-way through proceedings – oh to have a transcript of THAT call...

In this Midnight Mass special, recorded while European leaders were still at the White House, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell look at what was said, by whom, and what it might all mean.

Are there grounds for optimism? What, if anything, has changed? And who gets the Nobel Peace Prize..?

***SPONSOR US AT ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***

“It was like the world's most elite babysitting team had assembled. As if Thanos had a stroke and the Avengers have to gather around him, as carers, to make sure he doesn't click his fingers. And they may have to do it again tomorrow, and every week for three years, but it's still worth doing.”

“I detected a real insecurity in Trump. He kept going on about how unfair the media is being on him. It tells me that he read the coverage of the Alaska meeting and it did sting him… It's a mistake to see Trump as somehow untouchable. He cares about popularity and craves approval. That is his pressure point.”

“Trump has shifted on the notion of America being somehow involved in the security guarantees given to Ukraine. Unreliable as he is, articulating that publicly for the first time is, I think, a major moment.”

Help Ukraine by supporting ⁠⁠the Smart Medical Aid charity here⁠⁠.

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Brought to you by Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell. A Cooler Heads production, in cahoots with Sandstone Global.

Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠quietriotpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Or visit our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.quietriotpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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