The bombshell second 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 may 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 may very well be extreme.
European leaders and high officers are already rallying behind Zelenskyy and his nation, stating that Ukraine is just not alone however European diplomats now face a gargantuan problem in attempting to attenuate 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 had been in shock after they noticed that unprecedented on-camera second on the White Home play out, the Russians had been leaping with glee.
Even after Trump incorrectly labeled Zelenskyy as a “dictator” final week, the Kremlin might by no means have imagined at this time’s assembly would have panned out so effectively, 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 needs peace however not a truce that will permit Russia to launch one other invasion additional down the road.
Ukrainians is not going to roll over and concede territory at any value. They’ve already sacrificed a lot.
Nonetheless, if U.S. navy assist had been to finish, Ukraine would face a a lot more durable struggle.
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 brought on by this second will proceed to reverberate throughout Europe.
The European Union’s high 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 turn out 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 will give the U.S. entry to Ukraine’s mineral sources.
