Humiliation of hero Zelensky was a sorry spectacle… we saw Trump and Vance’s true feelings about the war

SOME very close to Donald Trump are deeply worried he may have bitten off more than he can chew in his boast that he can end the bitter war in Ukraine. Bringing the Russians to the table is proving to be significantly harder than the self-proclaimed dealmaker says publicly, hence his warm words toward Putin in recent weeks.

But whether it was a temper tantrum yesterday or something more calculated, hopes of peace look further away than ever after one of the most remarkable Oval Office meetings ever broadcast to the world. The ritual, bullying humiliation of wartime hero Volodymyr Zelensky at the hands of the leader of the free world last night was a sad sorry spectacle.

And now you can see why Sir Keir Starmer was so worried about his own White House meeting with the President. What a difference a day makes, Don the Fury was back following his OTT love in for the Brits on Thursday. The notoriously thin-skinned President, and VP JD Vance ganged up to pummel the man who has led three years of war-effort following Russia’s savage invasion of his homeland.

His crime? Apparently disrespecting the President, his literal office and not saying thank you enough - despite Zelensky endlessly thanking his allies around their world for their support. Warning signs were there on arrival as Zelensky turned up in his signature military fatigues he has donned since the day Putin’s tanks rolled over his border.

On the steps on the White House, Trump teased that he had “dressed up” for the visit. And within minutes of their Oval Office talks - in front of the rolling cameras just like Starmer’s own visit 24 hours previously - things were getting testy. The problem Zelensky had was he was totally correct to point out that Putin had broken previous ceasefire agreements, so any deal cut would need proper weight behind it to make the Kremlin-tyrant think twice.

Sir Kier made the identical point the day before, but a little more tactfully. But Trump was clearly itching for a fight, despite his apparent softening of his stance toward Zelensky who he has long hated, in recent days. Regardless, the torrent unleashed by the President and VP response saw their true feelings about the war.

Despite all his warm words about seeking peace, the tirade suggests Trump cares more about extracting America from picking up the tab rather than any other consequence of forcing Ukraine to compromise. And despite what looked like some progress in the last week, that leaves Starmer and his other European leaders back at square one about how to to fix this unholy mess.