LONDON: Ukraine’s European allies, set to gather in London on Sunday (Mar 2), rallied behind President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after 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 Zelenskyy depart the White House without signing an expected mineral deal, European leaders rushed to his defence.
“You are not alone,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, fresh off his own visit to the White House, said he had spoken to both Trump and Zelenskyy, and vowed “unwavering support” for Kyiv.
Zelenskyy wrote “thank you for your support” in individual replies on social media platform X to around 30 messages from European leaders.
Starmer and Zelenskyy will meet in London on Saturday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s summit, the prime minister’s office said.
On Sunday, representatives from more than a dozen European countries will convene in the British capital to focus on shoring up support for “securing a just and enduring peace” in Ukraine, according to Downing Street.
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.
French President Emmanuel Macron has 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.
Turkey, also invited, will be represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who spoke by phone on Saturday with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, about the Ukraine war, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.
Turkey, which hosted negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, is ready to reprise the role, but remains committed to “Ukraine’s territorial integrity”, the source said.
