New Delhi: 

Diplomacy is often seen as a game of tact, but sometimes, world leaders abandon decorum and go straight for verbal jousting. The explosive Oval Office confrontation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Friday proved that even in the halls of power, tempers can boil over.

One of the earliest and most infamous confrontations occurred in April 1945, shortly after Harry Truman became the US President following Franklin Roosevelt’s death. Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov visited the White House, expecting cordial discussions in line with Roosevelt’s previous diplomacy.

However, Zelenskyy’s fiery exchange with his American counterparts is hardly the first time a visiting foreign leader has locked horns with a US president. From Cold War showdowns to tense debates over Middle Eastern conflicts, the White House has witnessed some spectacular diplomatic meltdowns.

Instead, Truman confronted Molotov directly over Soviet violations of agreements regarding Poland. When Molotov protested, saying that he had never been talked to in such a manner, Truman bluntly responded: “Carry out your agreements, and you won’t be talked to like that!”

This moment sowed the seeds for the Cold War and set the tone for strained US-Soviet relations.

Khrushchev aggressively lectured Kennedy about American imperialism and the inevitability of Communist victory. Kennedy, still relatively new to international diplomacy, was reportedly taken aback by Khrushchev’s confrontational style. The tension of these meetings contributed to the Cuban Missile Crisis the following year, when both leaders engaged in an intense standoff over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

However, verbal jousts between American presidents and other foreign leaders were not just limited to the White House. In June 1961, President John F Kennedy met with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna. Though the meeting took place outside the White House, it later influenced tense interactions between the two leaders, especially during Khrushchev’s 1962 visit to Washington.

Then again, in June 1967, US President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin met in Glassboro, New Jersey. The meeting was called the Glassboro Summit and was part of the Cold War. The two leaders discussed the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War, the nuclear arms race, and the Vietnam War.

According to the then White House staff, Johnson’s private discussions with Kosygin were incredibly tense. Johnson was reportedly frustrated by Kosygin’s unwillingness to acknowledge the legitimacy of American intervention in Vietnam. In a heated exchange, Kosygin exclaimed, “What do you want, war?” to which Johnson fired back, emphasising the US’ commitment to its allies in the region. The meeting ended with little progress and added to the deep divide between the US and Soviet global perspectives.

Coming back to the White House, US President Richard Nixon’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir became strained during the lead-up to the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In their meetings at the White House, Meir urged Nixon to supply Israel with additional arms to counter growing threats from neighbouring Arab nations. Nixon, preoccupied with the Vietnam War and domestic issues, resisted full-scale military aid initially.

The discussions, historical reports show, became increasingly testy, with Meir warning of dire consequences if the US did not act. Nixon grew visibly frustrated with what he perceived as relentless pressure.

Tensions escalated as Meir, deeply concerned about Israel’s security, repeatedly pressed Nixon for assurances. Nixon, already under political pressure from the Watergate scandal and wary of angering oil-rich Arab states, was reluctant to provide immediate support.

Despite the strained exchanges, once the Yom Kippur War broke out in October 1973, Nixon ultimately authorised a massive airlift of military supplies to Israel. This decision, though crucial for Israel’s survival, came only after diplomatic tensions had reached a boiling point. The episode highlighted the complex and sometimes fraught nature of US-Israel ties during Nixon’s presidency.

Moving ahead to glasnost, perestroika and the eventual Soviet breakdown. At the outset, the interactions between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev might have shown signs of cordiality. But the fact of the matter is that their early interactions were marked by deep mistrust and confrontation.

Now, let’s move ahead to the Camp David Accords in 1978, brokered by the US, that led to peace between Israel and Egypt. While the formal negotiations took place at Camp David, the normally demure US President Jimmy Carter and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin had multiple heated discussions in the White House both before and after the summit. Begin resisted pressure to make territorial concessions, and Carter grew increasingly frustrated. At one point, Carter reportedly accused Begin of being unwilling to compromise for peace, while Begin retorted that Israel’s security was non-negotiable. The negotiations eventually led to a historic peace treaty, but not without substantial acrimony.

In their 1987 White House meetings, Reagan pushed Gorbachev aggressively on human rights abuses and the need for Soviet reforms. Gorbachev, in turn, criticised US military policies, particularly Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI), which the Soviets viewed as a provocation. While both leaders ultimately reached agreements on arms control, their meetings in Washington were initially tense and filled with sharp rhetoric.

Coming back to Trump. In 2017, during his first presidency, Trump had an axe to grind with then German Chancellor Angela Merkel. During Merkel’s visit to the White House, tensions surfaced over NATO defence spending and trade policies. Trump insisted that Germany was not contributing enough to NATO and accused the country of exploiting trade agreements. Reports suggested that the atmosphere was cold.

When Merkel, a close ally of former President Barack Obama, turned to Trump and asked, “Do you want to have a handshake?” she was met with silence. As the cameras rolled, Trump, appearing visibly uncomfortable, stared ahead without acknowledging Merkel’s request. The meeting highlighted the deep divisions between Trump’s ‘America First’ policy and Merkel’s commitment to multilateralism.

But yes, the Trump-Zelenskyy bust-up inside the Oval Office and in front of the world tops all these up.

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Geopolitics | Donald Trump's Tectonic Shifts In US Foreign Policy And Russia-Ukraine War