Zelensky should choose his words more carefully

It seems that whatever Volodymyr Zelensky says it somehow enrages Donald Trump. His latest faux pas was to predict that the war in Ukraine was going to go on for years. But Trump has made it clear he expects the war to end in a few months after a peace settlement with Putin. Trump and Zelensky are going along on parallel lines, never to meet at the end. Trump was furious with the remark, saying that it showed the Ukrainian president was not interested in a ceasefire or peace. Zelensky has got himself in a trap. He can't say the right thing, which, in the view of Trump, should be: "Thank you so much, Mr President, for all you have done and now where do I sign your peace deal?" Instead, he has reminded Trump that Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014 and got away with it because no one in the West did anything about it, apart from a few meaningless sanctions. Naughty boy stuff, in other words! Now, after three years of fighting the Russians in a war that no one can win, he wants Trump to produce a deal which will guarantee the security of his country for ever. But Trump is simnply not interested in that, unless it's the Europeans providing it. So Zelensky is doomed. However much support he gets from Keir Starmer and co, it's never going to be enough to save Ukraine's future. So, it really is time for Zelensky to choose his words more carefully and to sound the bell for peace. Of course he wants peace more than anyone, but he can't bear the thought of giving into Trump's demands which would inevitably give 20 per cent of Ukraine to Putin. So every time he opens his mouth he says something which infuriates Trump. Now all US military aid to Ukraine has been suspended. This is a disaster for Zelensky and for his loyal troops trying to protect Ukraine's sovereignty. For example, Patriot missiles, vital for defending the country from Putin's missiles and rockets, will soon run out. Zelensky has to find the right formula of words to show support for Trump without resorting to sycophancy. Good luck with that.