The time of the bomb that took place in the Oval office on Friday afternoon and the palpable animosity at exhibition between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will have alarm bells in Europe.
No one could have seen it coming, it was the equivalent of a diplomatic tsunami and the repercussions of that moment for Ukraine and Europe could be severe.
European leaders and senior officials are already joining Zelenskyy and their country, stating that Ukraine is not alone, but European diplomats now face a gigantic challenge when trying to minimize the consequences.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House in Washington, DC, on February 28, 2025.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
If the Europeans were in shock when they saw that moment in the unprecedented chamber in the White House, the Russians jumped.
Even after Trump labeled Zelenskyy incorrectly as a “dictator” last week, the Kremlin could never have imagined that today’s meeting would have been tracked so well, in his favor.
The president’s subsequent attack line against Zelenskyy on Trump’s social networks that the Ukrainian president “does not want peace” is a dream holder for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
All the Ukrainians I know want peace, but not a truce that allows Russia to launch another invasion later.
The Ukrainians will not be transmitted and admitted territory at any price. They have already sacrificed a lot.
However, if US military support ended, Ukraine would face a much harder fight.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, when vice president JD Vance reacts at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 28, 2025.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
Shock waves caused by this moment will continue to reverberate in Europe.
The main diplomat of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, said the block “will intensify support for Ukraine” against the [Russian] “aggressor.”
However, Kallas also hit the global leadership of the Trump administration, saying that he had become “of course the free world needs a new leader”, and added that it was now “for us, the Europeans, take this challenge.”
Zelenskyy was in Washington to sign an agreement that would give access to the United States to the mineral resources of Ukraine.
