New Delhi: European leaders have pledged their continued support to Ukraine after the tense showdown between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House Friday.
The support quickly poured in after the astonishing exchange: in statement after statement, leaders in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Ireland lined up behind Ukraine. Most of the statements also praised Zelenskyy’s leadership after the tense exchange in the Oval Office, during which Trump angrily threatened to pull American support from Ukraine unless Zelenskyy agreed to a ceasefire deal with Russia.
“Your dignity honours the bravery of the Ukrainian people,” wrote Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on X. “Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President.”
Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people.
Be strong, be brave, be fearless.
You are never alone, dear President @ZelenskyyUa.
We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 28, 2025
Most of the statements refrained from explicitly criticising Trump and Vice President JD Vance while issuing direct encouragement to Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy individually thanked every world leader expressing solidarity with Ukraine—just hours after Vance accused him of not saying “thank you” even once for international support.
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Realignment in Europe
The showdown in the Oval Office was yet another indication of a deepening fissure between the US and Europe, following the meeting at the Munich Security Conference on 14 February, during which Vance shocked nearly every European leader into silence. The clash between Zelenskyy and Trump—with Vance in tow—is yet another jolt to Europe’s capitals.
It has upended the relationship between America and Ukraine—and by extension, all the recent diplomacy with European leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron—who had just visited the US and put on a display of friendship with Trump at the White House—wrote on X that there is a clear aggressor and a clear victim in the Russia-Ukraine war, and urged America to continue supporting Ukraine, “because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, their children, and the security of Europe”.
There is an aggressor: Russia.
There is a victim: Ukraine.
We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so.
By “we,” I mean the Americans, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese, and many others.
Thank you to…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 28, 2025
Incoming Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, addressed Zelenskyy directly: “Dear Volodymyr,” he wrote, “We stand with Ukraine in good and testing times.” Merz, who has traditionally been a huge supporter of the US, recently made several statements after the German elections on 23 February in a departure from his previous stance—”America seems indifferent to the fate of Europe,” he said.
Dear Volodymyr @zelenskyyua, we stand with #Ukraine in good and in testing times. We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war. (FM)
— Friedrich Merz (@_FriedrichMerz) February 28, 2025
The outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said Ukraine could rely on Germany and the rest of Europe.
Even Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni—a Trump ally—issued a statement that “division would not suit anyone”.
The one European outlier was Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who commended Trump and the US by saying, “Strong men make peace, weak men make war.”
The White House clash now puts immense pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is scheduled to host an international meeting on Ukraine Sunday with Zelenskyy and leaders across Europe. Number 10 issued a statement saying that Starmer had spoken to both Zelenskyy and Trump after their meeting and that he “retains unwavering support for Ukraine and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace”.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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President Trump and his deputy JD Vance have the guts to call out the Europeans on their bluff. The EU has always been all talk and no action. It talks big but fails to act when required – when push comes to shove, the EU turns to the USA for support.
The EU has always taken advantage of US’ goodwill. The American taxpayer has been exploited and abused by the EU for the last 75 years.
Kudos to Trump and Vance for standing up to the Europeans and showing them the mirror.
If Europe wants the Russia-Ukraine conflict to continue it should be prepared to foot the bill and also deploy it’s own troops. The EU has tried every trick in the book to humiliate and belittle Russia. It must not expect the US to come to it’s aid.