Ditching Diplomatic Niceties

Diplomacy is not always niceties and pleasantries that the world is led to believe during press briefs and pre- and post-closed-door talks. Barring exceptions, leaders and delegations meet in accordance with pre-set agendas. But alert staffers at the schedule-scrutinising stage demand clarification and elaboration to iron out any ambiguity and doubts over the agenda scope. Whatever the efforts, talks can go nasty. A glimpse of it was given by the recent spat between Ukraine’s visiting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his American host, Donald Trump, at the White House in full view of the Press.