Europe goes to Washington

Arranged like chess pieces on the marble floor, Europe’s leaders stand literally shoulder to shoulder, flanking the leader of the free world. Trump, carefully positioned below the halo of his seal of office, the lynchpin and host of the extraordinary multilateral meeting, looks like he means business. Zelenskyy stands immediately to his right, the position of the guest of honour and the reason why seven of Europe’s key leaders flew across the Atlantic at short notice. This photo, described by the Wall Street Journal as ‘unusual’, was snapped ahead of the day’s negotiations. The preferred image on Fox News during their interview with the president after the meeting was of Trump holding court with the leaders seated on the other side of his desk. The family photo is a set piece of the diplomatic canon – each participant is presented equally; no individual is given favoured billing. In European summitry this is a common and regular occurrence, especially during a crisis, but it is unusual for them to take their crisis to the hallowed halls of the US first residence. What is also striking about the photo is how Europe’s leaders are still mainly men of a certain age, and what their stance in front of the world’s media conveys. Five hold their hands in front of their bodies – tightly in the case of Von der Leyen and Meloni, and just at the fingertips for Stubb, Merz and Rutte – holding themselves in and their apprehension close perhaps; whereas Macron, standing casually with a hand in his pocket, looks impatient with such formalities. Starmer, Zelenskyy and Trump pose with a certain grim determination. There are no smiles. The job of the photo was to signal the united western front supporting Ukraine. The question is whether, for each of the embattled leaders, that signalling is of greater importance for an international audience or for their voters at home.