In March 2022, with Vladimir Putin’s full-scale assault on Ukraine underway and a column of Russian tanks and military hardware bearing down on Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the US congress from a bunker beneath the presidential administration. Wearing khaki military fatigues and refusing to abandon his post, despite the Russian assassination squads then closing in on the Ukrainian capital, Zelensky received a standing ovation from Republicans and Democrat, many of whom wiped away tears, as he thanked the United States for its help defending Ukraine and the democratic values it represents. “We’re fighting for the values of Europe,” Zelensky said.
Three years later, Ukraine is still fighting – having defied the early predictions that it would be defeated within a matter of weeks – but when Zelensky travelled to Washington in late February, he was ridiculed for his military clothing and berated by Donald Trump and JD Vance, during their now infamous encounter in the Oval Office. In the days since, Trump and his senior officials have insisted that Zelensky needs to apologise for apparently failing to prostrate himself before them and having the nerve to try to insert some facts into the discussion of Russia’s war on his country. “I just think he should be more appreciative,” Trump said of Zelensky on 3 March. Hours later, his administration announced a halt to US military aid to Ukraine with immediate effect.
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