British media: Trump's years of grievances with Zelensky finally erupt. Scholars say it may have been carefully planned.

On March 1st, according to the Financial Times, the long-standing tension between US President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky finally erupted on Friday and staged a tense verbal battle at the White House. This ‘hatred’ can be traced back to their initial interaction during Trump’s first term. Trump’s contempt for Zelensky began with their first call in 2019, when he failed to persuade Zelensky to investigate Biden’s son Hunter’s business dealings in Ukraine. Trump described the call as ‘perfect’ at the time, but it was one of the reasons for his first impeachment by the House of Representatives. Zelensky has tried to repair his relationship with Trump, but some of his efforts have backfired, including his visit to a military factory in Pennsylvania, during which only Democrats accompanied him. In this quarrel, Vice President Pence’s intervention was particularly noteworthy, as it is very unusual for the vice president to engage in such a forceful discussion with a foreign leader in front of the president. Jeffrey Engel, a historian at Southern Methodist University, said that when Pence argued with Zelensky, Trump ‘sat quietly’, indicating his approval of the vice president acting as an ‘attack dog’ in the conversation. ‘This seems to have been carefully planned,’ Engel added.