Zelenskyy arrived in London Saturday ahead of a summit organized by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The summit will also include leaders from France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Romania, as well as the NATO secretary-general and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council. It will take place on Sunday.
The shouting match that unfolded Friday in the final minutes of the highly anticipated meeting at the White House between Trump and Zelenskyy seemed to dash, at least for now, Ukrainian hopes that the United States could be locked in as a reliable partner in helping fend off, and conclude, Russia’s three-year onslaught.
President Trump threatened Zelenskyy during the meeting to make a deal with Russia or “we’re out,” and Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of being “disrespectful.” Zelenskyy kept an even tone throughout the entire exchange, even as Mr. Trump and Vance at times raised their voices.
National security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked Zelenskyy and Ukrainian officials to leave the White House. The blowout also derailed plans to sign an economic agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine. In a Fox News interview, Waltz rejected suggestions from Trump critics that the president and Vice President JD Vance “ambushed” Zelenskyy, and said the Ukrainian leader “has not gotten the memo that this is a new sheriff in town.”
European officials have rallied around Zelenskyy amid fallout from the combative meeting.
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Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala says “Europe faces a historic test” and has to be able to take care of itself: “Nobody else will do it.”
Fiala said Saturday that Europe has to increase its military support for Ukraine and European countries have to increase their arms spending to reach “at least” 3% of GDP.
“If we don’t increase our effort fast enough and let the aggressor dictate its conditions, we won’t end up well,” he said.
Slovak populist Prime Minister Robert Fico repeated his country won’t provide Ukraine any military or financial support that would help it fight Russia. Fico also demanded that an emergency EU summit in Brussels on Thursday agree to a call for an immediate ceasefire, “which is something that President Zelenskyy and a majority of EU member states refuse to do.” Fico said his country also wants the summit to specifically request Ukraine to reopen the transit of Russian gas to Europe.
He warned that if the summit doesn’t respect the Slovak requests, “the European Council might not be able to agree on its position regarding Ukraine on Thursday.”
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has called on Zelenskyy to return to the negotiating table in order to ensure the security of his country, arguing that only the United States is able to stop Russian aggression. Duda is a strong supporter of Ukraine and has friendly ties with Trump.
“Volodymyr Zelenskyy should return to this table, sit calmly at this table, remain calm, negotiate a solution that will make Ukraine safe,” Duda told reporters in Poland.
He said that he sees no other force than the United States that could stop Russian aggression. Russia said on Saturday that it shot down three Ukrainian drones that targeted part of the infrastructure of the TurkStream gas pipeline, which transports Russian gas across the Black Sea to Turkey and Europe.
The French minister of the armed forces says France’s nuclear deterrent will remain the prerogative of the country’s president as European leaders mull ways to bolster their security amid uncertainty over U.S. support. Sebastien Lecornu posted a clarification on the social network X on Saturday after French president Emmanuel Macron said he was ready to open discussions on a possible European nuclear deterrent.
“Our nuclear deterrent is French, and it will remain so: from the design and production of our weapons, to their deployment on the decision of the President of the Republic,” Lecornu said. “It protects France’s vital interests, which the head of state alone is responsible for defining.”
Future German leader Friedrich Merz has suggested that Britain and France could “share” their nuclear weapons in the future.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said “a new era of nefariousness” had begun in the wake of Trump’s treatment of Zelenskyy at the White House, but vowed that it would only increase her country’s commitment to Ukraine.
“Many of you will have slept fitfully tonight in the face of the unspeakable videos from the White House. Frankly, so did I. Unfortunately, this was not a bad dream, but a violent reality,” she told reporters on Saturday. “Our horror is greater today than before, but so is our commitment to the people of Ukraine, to our own security and to peace in Europe.”
She described Ukraine as “part of free and democratic Europe” and said there is no question as to who is the aggressor and who is “the brave defender” in the war.
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