The bombshell moment that performed out within the Oval Workplace Friday afternoon and the palpable animosity on show between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy can have alarm bells ringing throughout Europe.
Nobody might have seen it coming, it was the equal of a diplomatic tsunami and the repercussions of that second for Ukraine and Europe could possibly be extreme.
European leaders and prime officers are already rallying behind Zelenskyy and his nation, stating that Ukraine shouldn’t be alone however European diplomats now face a gargantuan problem in attempting to reduce the fallout.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the White Home in Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2025.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
If the Europeans have been in shock after they noticed that unprecedented on-camera second on the White Home play out, the Russians have been leaping with glee.
Even after Trump incorrectly labeled Zelenskyy as a “dictator” final week, the Kremlin might by no means have imagined immediately’s assembly would have panned out so properly, of their favor.
The president’s subsequent assault line towards Zelenskyy on Trump’s social media platform that the Ukrainian president “would not need peace” is a dream headline for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Each Ukrainian I do know desires peace however not a truce that may permit Russia to launch one other invasion additional down the road.
Ukrainians is not going to roll over and concede territory at any worth. They’ve already sacrificed a lot.
Nonetheless, if U.S. army assist have been to finish, Ukraine would face a a lot more durable battle.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Vice President JD Vance reacts on the White Home in Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2025.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
The shock waves attributable to this second will proceed to reverberate throughout Europe.
The European Union’s prime diplomat, Kaja Kallas, stated the block “will step up assist to Ukraine” towards the [Russian] “aggressor.”
Nonetheless, Kallas additionally took a swipe on the Trump Administration’s world management, saying it had grow to be “clear that the free world wants a brand new chief,” including that it was now “as much as us, Europeans, to take this problem.”
Zelenskyy was in Washington to signal an settlement that may give the U.S. entry to Ukraine’s mineral sources.
