During an August meeting at the White House, US President Donald Trump unexpectedly changed the atmosphere of negotiations with Volodymyr Zelensky by organizing a sudden phone call to a former "Miss Ukraine".
According to The New York Times, Trump, who once owned the Miss Universe contest, told Zelensky about the beauty of Ukrainian women. "Ukrainian women are beautiful," the American president stated. Zelensky immediately responded: "I know, I'm married to one".
How the Unexpected Dialogue Unfolded
The US President recalled that his friend Phil Ruffin is married to former "Miss Ukraine" Oleksandra Nikolaenko. Trump immediately called Ruffin, who passed the phone to his wife, and then Zelensky also spoke with her in Ukrainian.
According to official sources, the next 10-15 minutes in the room were marked by unusual silence. "The atmosphere changed, the temperature seemed to drop. Everyone was smiling," one of the present officials said.
Consequences of the Unexpected Dialogue
A month later, at the UN General Assembly opening in New York, Trump called Zelensky an "outstanding person" who "fights incredibly worthily".
