Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance together targeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky in full media glare is a spectacle not witnessed in years. Terming him as disrespectful, demanding he accept terms of the ceasefire determined by Trump, and finally asking him to leave the White House displays neither diplomacy nor respect for a guest. It was a visit no one would have imagined. The mineral deal, announced by both sides prior to the meeting, was unsigned. Rarely has the Vice President participated in discussions when a presidential bilateral is in progress. The manner in which Vance joined Trump to berate Zelenskky appears to indicate that anger was simmering.

Neither side displayed maturity. A visit which commenced with hope, despite differences between the two, ended in disaster. The most defining moment was of Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to Washington, sitting with her head in her hands as arguments escalated. She realized that nothing could be worse. Logically, the press should have been told to leave as soon as the debate degenerated; however, it did not happen. Such a diplomatic spectacle has never been witnessed before. Subsequently Trump and Vance took to social media to defend their stance, shifting blame on Zelenskky.

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On the other hand, Zelenskky went live on Fox News, stood his ground and refused to apologise for his conduct. Zelenskky insisted the American reading of Putin was wrong and its approach to resolution of the conflict was flawed. His thought process, based on three years of conflict, was bound to be biased, which Trump repeatedly attempted to raise. Zelenskky insisted that unless there were US troops deployed in Ukraine, the nation was at risk. Zelenskky, by believing that Putin can threaten the........

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