Behind the red carpet rolled out in Zelensky, European rivalries and frustrations

The smiles, warm hugs and superlatives that punctuated Volodymyr Zelensky’s day in Brussels on Thursday failed to hide it. Hide what? The competition between the three institutions of the EU – European Council (member states), Commission (executive) and Parliament (legislative) – against a backdrop of which one will best roll out the red carpet for the Ukrainian president. A curious “game” in which the three presidents, Charles Michel, Ursula von der Leyen and Roberta Metsola, have been indulging in a more or less marked way for months.