The world watched on in horror on February 28 as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance teamed up to belittle and besmirch the Ukrainian president. Zelenskyy and his delegates had traveled to Washington with the aim of finally securing a deal that promised the end of their war with Russia (a war, readers will hopefully know, that was initiated when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.)

And yet instead of treating Zelenskyy with the respect and sympathy he deserves after having seen to the defenses of his country in the face of overwhelming odds for over three years, Trump and Vance went on the attack, raising their voices and repeatedly demanding that Zelenskyy gave thanks for the support the US has thus far offered.

Needless to say, peace deals are not a natural product of such environments.

To his credit, Zelenskyy swallowed all that Trump and Vance had to say without losing his temper, but relations between the US and Ukraine were obviously fractured by a circus that played out in full view of the world’s press.

Following the car-crash meeting, Zelenskyy and his team were asked to leave the White House early, with Trump later deciding to suspend any and all US aid for Ukraine, as well as intelligence sharing.