European leaders showed their support of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after he was confronted by United States President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House.
Zelenskyy had traveled to Washington to sign a critical minerals deal with Trump and to seek continued US support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine just over three years ago.
However, the meeting ended abruptly, without further talk of signing a deal, after Trump and Vance accused Zelenskyy of disrespecting the United States as Zelenskyy sought security assurances to protect against any future invasion attempts by Russia.
Meeting changes allies’ view of United States
Rachel Rizzo, a nonresident senior fellow at think tank the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center, told DW that the meeting would lead European leaders to question what kind of ally the United States could continue to be.
“I do think that American allies and partners, especially after high level visits from Trump’s administration to Europe over the last couple of weeks, they’re really calling into question what kind of partner the United States is,” she told DW.
“This will create a scenario where long-standing allies and partners are now going to look at countries outside of the United States and I think that weakens the US on the global stage,” Rizzo added.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, a former prime minister of Estonia, echoed this belief, “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.
“We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the aggressor.”
Europe’s leaders praise Zelenskyy
Shortly after the clash at the White House, leaders from across Europe took to social media to express their support for Zelenskyy.
Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, “Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians do.” While Germany’s conservative leader Friedrich Merz, Scholz’s likely successor after his party won last Sunday’s general election, posted: “We stand with Ukraine in good and in testing times. We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Trump this week too, posted on X: “There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a people who are under attack: Ukraine.”
“Respect to those who, since the beginning, have been fighting. Because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, for their children and for the security of Europe,” Macron added.
Among those who added their voices to the parade of European support for Ukraine were European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Starmer to host international leaders on Sunday
Meanwhile, Starmer spoke with the Ukrainian and US presidents immediately after their heated conversation in the Oval Office.
A spokesperson for the British prime minister said he is looking forward to “hosting international leaders on Sunday, including President Zelenskyy.”
Starmer was said to have wooed Trump during the week, after meeting with the US president on Thursday, when he presented Trump an invitation to a state visit with King Charles.
Although Rizzo was understanding of Zelenskyy pushing back, she believes the Ukrainian president’s best option would have been to swallow his pride — like Starmer and Macron had done earlier in the week.
“Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer were able to put their egos aside,” she said. “Show up to the White House and flatter Trump, which is kind of what you have to do, even though it’s sort of like dealing with a toddler.
“I think Zelensky should be able to do that as well but there’s also a sense of Ukrainian pride here that I really understand,” she added.
Meloni calls for summit
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has supported Ukraine but also has strong ties to Trump as a fellow right-wing politician, offered a more careful response.
Suggesting a summit involving the United States, European nations and allies, Meloni said it was important to discuss how “to deal with the great challenges of today, starting with Ukraine.”
“Every division of the West makes us all weaker and favors those who would like to see the decline of our civilization,” Meloni added.
However, Rizzo said she believes the disagreement between Trump and Zelenskyy could make any future deal to end the war much harder to achieve.
“I worry that Europe is going to get cut out of these negotiations,” Rizzo said. “Trump sees Zelenskyy as sort of insolent and not ready for peace, so he’s going to get cut out. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that what happened today can get smoothed over, but I think it’s going to be an uphill battle.”
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/europe-loudly-states-support-for-ukraine-quietly-eyes-trump/a-71790839
