Ukraine's European allies, set to gather in London on Sunday, rallied behind President Volodymyr Zelensky after US President Donald Trump threw him out of the White House and accused him of not being "ready" for peace with Russia.
Stunned by Friday's altercation in the Oval Office, which saw Zelensky depart the White House without signing an expected mineral deal, most European leaders rushed to his defense.
"You are not alone," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, fresh off his own visit to the White House, said he had spoken to both Trump and Zelensky following the clash and vowed "unwavering support" for Kyiv.
Representatives from more than a dozen European countries will convene in London for a summit Sunday, which according to Downing Street will focus on shoring up support for "securing a just and enduring peace" in Ukraine.
The gathering will also address the need for Europe to increase defence cooperation amid fears over whether the United States will continue to support NATO.
Trump has spoken dismissively of the transatlantic alliance and stunned many in Europe when he reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek a deal on Ukraine, which Moscow invaded three years ago.
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Shouting match
Their concerns were exacerbated by the scene that played out in the White House on Friday, where the years-long US policy of massive support for Ukraine collapsed in a shouting match.
During the clash, in front of US and international media, Trump and Vice President JD Vance shouted at Zelensky, accusing him of not being "thankful" and refusing to accept their proposed truce terms.
Trump said Ukraine will have to make "compromises" in a truce with Russia, which has occupied swaths of the country.
Zelensky said there should be "no compromises with a killer on our territory".
After he pointed out that previous Western-backed peace efforts had failed to deter Russian aggression, Vance interrupted and called him "disrespectful".
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"You don't have the cards right now," Trump said. "You're either going to make a deal or we're out, and if we're out, you'll fight it out and I don't think it's going to be pretty".
The session then boiled over into Trump and Vance loudly berating the Ukrainian leader. He sat in evident discomfort as his hosts talked over him.
Zelensky refused to apologise, telling Fox News, "I'm not sure that we did something bad". He did, however, say he wished the exchange had not taken place in front of reporters.
Zelensky departed shortly after, with Trump posting on social media that "he can come back when he is ready for peace".
'Be brave, be fearless'
Following the clash, European Union chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa assured Zelensky that he was "never alone".
"Be strong, be brave, be fearless," wrote the European commission and council presidents in a joint statement on social media, telling Zelensky: "We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace."
The bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas questioned the United States leadership of the transatlantic alliance between European powers and Washington.
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"Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It's up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge," she wrote on social media.
French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated that Russia was the "aggressor" in the Ukraine war.
"We were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and to continue to do so," he told journalists.
Hungary thanks Trump
Macron also said he is ready to "open the discussion" on a possible future European nuclear deterrent, following a request from Germany's next leader Friedrich Merz.
Merz has stressed the need for the continent to move quickly to "achieve independence" from the United States on defence matters.
However, not all European leaders were ready to jump to Ukraine's aid.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of the closest partners of both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, thanked Trump for standing "bravely for peace".
"Strong men make peace, weak men make war," Orban posted on X.
(with AFP)
