As tempers flared in Washington...

Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance, together targeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky in full media glare, created a spectacle unseen in years.

- HARSHA KAKAR

Labeling him disrespectful, demanding he accept Trump's ceasefire terms, and ultimately asking him to leave the White House displayed a lack of diplomacy and respect. It was a visit no one could have imagined.

The mineral deal, announced by both sides before the meeting, remained unsigned. It's rare for a Vice President to participate in discussions during a presidential bilateral. Vance joining Trump to berate Zelenskky suggests simmering anger. Neither side showed maturity.

The visit, beginning with hope despite their differences, ended in disaster. A defining moment was Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to Washington, sitting with her head in her hands as arguments escalated. She realized things couldn't get worse.

Logically, the press should have been told to leave once the debate deteriorated; however, this didn't happen. Such a diplomatic spectacle is unprecedented. Trump and Vance later defended their actions on social media, blaming Zelenskky. Zelenskky, appearing on Fox News, stood his ground and refused to apologize.

Zelenskky argued that America's interpretation of Putin was wrong and its approach to conflict resolution was flawed. His perspective, shaped by three years of conflict, was bound to be biased, a point Trump repeatedly raised. Zelenskky insisted that without US troops in Ukraine, the nation was at risk.