Amaney, This is horrible and disgusting and of course the blame lies squarely at the feet of Trump and Vance. But, given the situation, Zelensky's handing of this situation didn't do himself (or Ukraine) any favors. 'Doesn't respond well to negative feedback and instead needs to have his ego stroked' is like Trump 101.
He failed to learn the lesson that Starmer, Abe, and others picked up quickly—the key to Trump’s heart is flattery. It’s not a fair position for Zelensky, but he had an obligation to put his own ego and pride aside and suck up to Trump for the sake of his country.