Pakistan, March 2 -- In a scene that could easily have been lifted from a modern-day epic, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former US President Donald Trump clashed in a dramatic exchange at the White House - an encounter that has not only rattled the corridors of power in Washington but also sent shockwaves across Europe and deep into the heart of Ukraine's ongoing struggle against Russian aggression.

Evoking the commanding presence of Don Corleone, the confrontation unfolded with a theatrical intensity that belied its underlying gravitas. Zelenskyy, the much-touted steadfast guardian of Ukrainian sovereignty, arrived at the meeting with a palpable urgency borne from years of conflict and the heavy burden of national survival...