The time of the bomb that took place in the oval office on Friday afternoon and the palpable animosity exhibited between President Donald Trump, vice-president JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will have alarm ringtone that sounds across Europe.
No one could have seen him coming, it was the equivalent of a diplomatic tsunami and the repercussions of this moment for Ukraine and Europe could be serious.
European leaders and senior officials are already gathering behind Zelenskyy and his country, declaring that Ukraine is not alone, but European diplomats are now faced with a Gargantusen challenge by trying to minimize the benefits.
President Donald Trump meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 28, 2025.
Brian Snyder / Reuters
If the Europeans were in shock when they saw this unprecedented moment on the camera in the White House unfold, the Russians jumped with Glee.
Even after Trump incorrectly called Zelenskyy as “dictator” last week, the Kremlin could never have imagined that today’s meeting would have done so well, in their favor.
The president’s subsequent attack line against Zelenskyy on Trump’s social media platform that the Ukrainian president “does not want a peace” is a dream title for Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Each Ukrainian I know wants peace but not a truce that would allow Russia to launch another invasion further.
The Ukrainians will not turn around and will not concede the territory at all costs. They have already sacrificed so much.
However, if US military support should end, Ukraine would face a much more difficult fight.
President Donald Trump meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while vice-president JD Vance reacted to the White House in Washington, DC, February 28, 2025.
Brian Snyder / Reuters
The shock waves caused by this moment will continue to pass through Europe.
The first diplomat of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, said that the block “would intensify support in Ukraine” against the [Russian] “aggressor.”
However, Kallas also made a hit on the world leadership of the Trump administration, saying that it had become “clear that the free world needs a new leader,” adding that it was “to us, the Europeans, to take up this challenge”.
Zelenskyy was in Washington to sign an agreement that would give the United States access to Ukraine mineral resources.
