Fast forward almost six years — to a pivotal moment for his war-torn country’s future — Zelenskyy seems to have forgotten the first rule in dealing with Trump: Flattery is the coin of the realm — and perceived insults, especially in public, will quickly get you kicked to the curb.

Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy as ungrateful and disloyal when the Ukrainian president held his ground against a U.S. ‘deal’ that Kyiv had signaled was unfavorable.