But three years after the West rallied behind Ukraine and Zelenskyy, Trump’s return to the White House has threatened to upend that coalition of support, bringing vital military and financial aid into question at a critical juncture in the war.
Russian troops are still advancing across the east and Moscow has been emboldened by Trump’s diplomatic outreach and his scepticism over long-term support for Kyiv.
Zelenskyy on Monday hailed “three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians”, adding: “I thank everyone who defends and supports it.”
Arriving in Kyiv by train, European Union Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine was fighting “for survival” and that Europe’s “destiny” was at stake in Ukraine.
“We are in Kyiv today, because Ukraine is Europe. In this fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It’s Europe’s destiny,” she said in a post on X.
Brussels on Monday hit Russia with a new round of sanctions targeting not only “the Russian shadow fleet but those who support the operation of unsafe oil tankers, videogame controllers used to pilot drones, banks used to circumvent our sanctions, and propaganda outlets used to spout lies”, EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said.
In an apparent rebuke of Trump’s moves to sideline Kyiv from talks on how to end the war, EU Council President Antonio Costa said: “In Ukraine, about Ukraine, with Ukraine.”
The presidents or prime ministers of Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Spain and Sweden all arrived in Kyiv on Monday morning, according to their posts on social media and Ukraine’s Suspilne public broadcaster.
