The European leaders gathered around Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his spectacular oval office had violated Donald Trump, but the crack between Kyiv and Washington leaves Europe with agonizing decisions on how to support Ukraine.
Friday confrontationWhere the US President accused the Ukrainian leader of the “Gaming” with a Third World War, caused in European capitals and the fears of an irreparable transatlantic violation of the European capitals.
Kaja Kallas, the EU chief diplomat and a convinced supporter of UkrainePerhaps the most attentive in their assessment.
“Today it became clear that the free world needs a new guide. It is up to us to face this challenge, ”she said.
Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway’s Prime Minister, described the extraordinary scenes in the White House as “serious and discouraging”.
“The fact that Trump accuses Zelenskyy of being played with the Third World War is deeply unreasonable and an explanation that I distance myself from,” he said.
A score of others European The leaders closed behind Zelenskyy without criticizing the US President directly.
“Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President Zelenskyy, ”said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and António Costa, President of the European Council, in a joint statement.
The British Prime Minister Keir Strander promised his “unshakable support”.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Trump in the White House on Monday, was the first European leader to defend Zelenskyy on Friday evening.
Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor in the waiting loop, said Berlin, “are in good and in test times with Ukraine. We must never confuse aggressor and victims in this terrible war. “
On Saturday the spokesman for the CDU foreign policy, Jürgen Hardt, told the public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk:
The expression of the support of Ukraine – and the male of Trump, directly or indirectly – underline how the transatlantic relationship was broken by the hasty attempts by the US president to end the war and repair the relationships with Moscow.
Trump’s antagonistic attitude towards Ukraine, his threat, the protection of European NATO allies who no longer spend on defense, and his vow, 25 percent tariffs for EU imports have made strong that Europe must formulate a plan to reduce its dependency on the USA. However, there is no clear plan for how this can be achieved at short notice.
The collapse of the relationships between Zelenskyy and Trump also plunges the pressure on the meeting of European managers in London on Sunday for a hastily arranged summit organized by Starrer.
The summit aims to formulate suggestions for the joint protection of Ukraine and to increase the expenditure for defense, which reduces the dependency of the continent of America.
“We finally have to wake up and recognize:” This is it, “said a high -ranking EU diplomat in response to the Fallout of the White House.” We are alone and the parents on the other side of the Atlantic have just cut out of the family’s house, cut off our allowances and disinhered us. “
Trump’s verbal attack on Zelenskyy, who came after a dozen European leader to celebrate Ukraine in order to mark the third anniversary of the full invasion of the state of Russia in the country, blew all hopes to convince the US president to rethink his approach to a quick peace agreement.
During her visits to the White House this week, Macron and Strander made a coordinated attempt to persuade Trump to ensure military knowledge for a possible European stabilization power in Ukraine, both of whom said it was indispensable. These efforts were derailed in the White House by the showdown on Friday.
No 10 Downing Street on Friday evening said Starrer spoke to Zelenskyy and Trump and “played his role to find a way forward”.
Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s nationalist conservative prime minister, called for a “immediate summit” between the EU and the USA, “to honestly talk about how we want to face today’s great challenges before Ukraine”.
There was a remarkable exception to the choir of European support for Zelenskyy: Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Trump’s side.
“Strong men make peace, weak men wage war,” said Orbán. “Today President Trump was brave for peace. Even if it was difficult for many to digest. Thank you, Mr. President. “
Putin’s member of the Security Council and former stand-in president on social media, Dmitry Medwedev, described the incident as “violent disguise in the Oval Office”.
“Trump told the clown (Zelenskyy) the truth about his face: the Kyiv regime plays with the Third World War. . . That helps. But it is not enough – we have to stop military support to Ukraine, he wrote.
