Vance lights the fuse and a glowering Trump explodes

If there was any doubt that the United States had switched sides in the war between Ukraine and Russia, and in the battle between autocracy and democracy, it was shattered in front of a watching world in the Oval Office yesterday.

- RICHARD HALL

What should have been a routine greeting with the press at the White House descended into an explosive row between president Volodymyr Zelensky and president Donald Trump, goaded on by vice-president JD Vance, who played the role of a sycophantic Mr Smee to Trump’s erratic Captain Hook.

The meeting began politely enough with Zelensky emphasising the urgency of his visit, and Trump delivering his usual analysis of a war “that would never have happened if I was president”.

But as Trump opined further on the causes of the war in response to questions from the press, distributing blame equally between the invaded and the invader, Zelensky’s face began to drop.

“We have tremendous death taking place as we speak. And I don't want to have that. Think of the parents – whether they're in Russia or Ukraine – think of the parents of all these people being killed needlessly,” Trump said.

“They came to our territory,” Zelensky interjected, clearly exasperated.

The equivocation continued. While Zelensky was eager to answer questions about the security guarantees the US could provide in return for access to its natural mineral resources, Trump boasted about his election victory, claimed he alone could prevent a third world war, blamed Joe Biden for failing to stop the conflict sooner and heaped faint praise on Putin.

The mood began to turn when Trump made a quip about Zelensky’s clothing, a reference to the Ukrainian leader’s choice to not wear a suit until the war in his country ends. It came at an awkward moment, when Zelensky had made several attempts to answer questions about security guarantees that were vital for his country’s survival.

“I do like your clothing by the way,” Trump said, referencing an earlier question from a journalist in the room.