The Republican Party in the US should not be wavering in its support for Ukraine

Barely known a year ago outside of the country that he rules, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is now a global hero.

His Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, is in contrast vilified as an aggressor for invading his smaller neighbour in February.

President Zelensky is admired for his fortitude in standing up to a much more powerful foe since Moscow sent its tanks across the Ukrainian border.

Zelensky is a former comedian and when he addressed the joint United States houses of congress on Wednesday his combat attire gave him a casual air.

But the president of Ukraine has shown bravery and steel in standing up fully to the Russian invasion, a stand which even in the lowest estimates has cost thousands of Ukrainian lives. That life-and-death stand has meant that Putin has not seen his troops make anything like the military progress he expected.

Tyrannical would-be invaders in other national capitals will have noticed the perils that accompany trying to steamroller a less mighty neighbour.

But the response of much of Europe and America to the Russian onslaught has been confused. The EU was, as the threat of invasion grew, disgracefully ambivalent in its signals to Moscow. It soon toughened its stance, but France and Germany have at times seemed as concerned about commerce and energy supply as about backing Ukraine.

The UK and US have been largely unwavering in their moral support, with the latter providing significant weaponry in assistance.

But, sadly, Trumpian elements of the Republican Party, a party which for decades was at the helm of America’s role as global policeman, have shown lukewarm support for Ukraine.

Such Republicans should end their isolationism, which will only embolden the West’s enemies.