In a report by its correspondent Victoria Crowe, The Washington Post investigated the opinions of body language experts to analyze the stormy meeting that brought together US President Donald Trump and his Vice President J.D. Vance on the one hand, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the other hand.

In the Oval Office meeting on Friday, Trump and Vance accused the Ukrainian president of not being sufficiently grateful for the support the United States provides his country.

The newspaper quoted body language experts as saying that the decision not to use an interpreter, the imbalance of power between the two sides, and Zelensky's "warrior energy" after three years of war, were all factors that contributed to the Washington meeting spiraling out of control.

What was missing from the meeting was the "polite, carefully planned" formal behavior that viewers are used to seeing, said Caroline Goyder, who coaches politicians and business leaders to speak with confidence and knowledge.

Trump is usually polite to leaders, but his relationship with Zelensky, “which has never been warm,” has been strained. Trump has falsely claimed that Zelensky is a dictator and that Ukraine started the war, “which is consistent with the Kremlin’s view.” The Ukrainian president has said that his American counterpart is living in a “web of disinformation.”

Goyder described the exchange during the interview - which took place in front of television cameras and was broadcast live - as being like a play in which Trump and Zelensky were performing two different scenes.

She said Trump appeared to be acting out a scene in a courtroom and was “in a safe place, oceans away (from Ukraine), where he can quickly reposition himself. He’s in a stable place.”

In contrast, Zelensky looked as if he were performing a scene on a battlefield, dressed in military fatigues and carrying with him into the meeting room the weight of his country’s conflict, and he had to get things done, according to Goyder, who described him as a man of energy and speed.

According to Darren Stanton, a body language expert, Zelensky appeared at the meeting "very angry" and "seemed to be absorbed in his own ego."

As Vance spoke, Zelensky leaned back with his arms crossed after leaning forward, indicating, Stanton read, “a dramatic change in his inner feelings.”

Stanton said the Ukrainian president “felt he wasn’t being vocal or allowed to express his views,” adding that Trump typically “squeezes the handshake tightly, pats the body hard, pushes the chin up, and sits with his feet flat on the floor and fingers pressed together to show power and influence.”

The newspaper pointed out that the leaders who recently visited the United States did their best to satisfy Trump's vanity, imitate his body language, and mimic his speeches during difficult negotiations and trade deals.

During British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to Washington on Thursday, Trump asked him if Britain was capable of defending itself against Russia, and he responded with a "yellow smile."

French President Emmanuel Macron broke ranks this week when he put his hand on Trump’s forearm to correct his false claim about Europe’s money for Ukraine.