European leaders have reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine after a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump ended abruptly, following a public dressing down of the war-torn president.
On Friday in front of a room full of reporters at the White House, the United States president accused his Ukrainian counterpart of "gambling with World War Three" for not accepting the terms of what Kyiv views as an unfavourable possible peace deal with Russia.
The heated exchange led to the cancellation of the signing of an and a joint press conference.
In the immediate aftermath of the fiery clash, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and leaders across Europe reaffirmed support for Ukraine in its three-year long fight against Russia, while some Trump loyalists applauded the president.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australian government stood behind Ukraine, framing the current conflict as a "struggle between a democratic nation" and "an authoritarian regime led by Vladimir Putin, who clearly has imperialistic designs not just on Ukraine but throughout that region".
Albanese did not comment directly on the exchanges in the Oval Office, or Trump's behaviour, saying only that Australia's foreign policy was determined by Australia.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised Ukraine for continuing to fight "for their dignity [and] their independence", while Germany's outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz promised that "Ukraine can rely on Germany and on Europe".
A spokesperson for Keir Starmer said the British prime minister "retains his unwavering support for Ukraine and is playing his part to find a path forward to a lasting peace, based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for the US, Europe, and their allies to hold a summit "without delay" over the Ukraine war, while European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen pledged to continue working with Ukraine "for a just and lasting peace" in a statement on X.
"Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It's up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge," the European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas wrote on social media.
In the US, some senior Republicans signalled their support for Trump.
"I've never been more proud of President Trump for showing the American people and the world you don’t trifle with this man," Senator Lindsay Graham said in an interview on Fox News.
Zelenskyy asked if he'll apologise to Trump
Zelenskyy also appeared on Fox News, where he was asked if he would apologise to Trump or consider stepping down.
He responded that although he regretted how the meeting had unfolded and respected the American people, he didn't think he had done "something bad" by trying to be "honest" about Ukraine's situation.
Zelenskyy added that he believed his relationship with Trump could be salvaged, as Ukraine-US diplomacy was about "more than just two presidents".
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared on Fox News after his meeting at the White House. Source: AAP / Jose Luis Magana/AP
"Trump finally understood that Zelenskyy is a president that will not just give up," a woman in Kyiv, who did not offer her full name, told Reuters.
"It is not Ukraine that is gambling with World War Three — more likely we are being used in this game as a bargaining chip," another added.
Trump says Zelenskyy 'gambling with World War Three'
Zelenskyy had secured Friday's meeting at the White House to try to convince the Trump administration to rethink its current approach to early peace negotiations, which have so far involved sidelining Kyiv from talks in Saudi Arabia and offering key concessions to Moscow, such as allowing it to keep Ukrainian territory captured during its invasion.
The discussion turned sour after Zelenskyy questioned Trump and US vice-president JD Vance about how the war could be ended via "diplomacy" with Russia, given President Vladimir Putin's bad faith actions.
Zelenskyy was in turn berated for being "disrespectful" and not showing the US gratitude for its role in trying to end the conflict.
"Do you think it's respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?," Vance asked Zelenskyy.
"Have you said 'thank you' once in the entire meeting? In the entire meeting, have you said 'thank you?'"
After more back and forth, Trump also raised his voice and began criticising the Ukrainian leader.
"You're right now, not really in a very good position. You've allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.
"You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. You're gambling with World War Three," he said, in front of rolling cameras.
Trump then issued Zelenskyy an ultimatum, stating that Ukraine must "make a deal or we are out", implying that the US could abandon negotiations and withdraw military support for Kyiv.
Shifting alliances
Since becoming president, Trump has aligned with Putin, startling traditional allies in Europe and beyond while leaving Ukraine more exposed to Moscow's aggression. Friday's outburst though, was his most public display of this shift yet.
Zelenskyy's early exit from the White House without signing the critical minerals deal — which would give Washington access to Kyiv's untapped resources in exchange for investment and what Ukraine hopes will be concrete security guarantees — leaves a question mark over where negotiations between the two nations will go from here.
Zelenskyy, who had lobbied for the meeting in Washington, has repeatedly spoken about the importance of meeting Trump in person to bolster support for a peace agreement that would take some of Ukraine's redlines into consideration, before the US president is due to hold talks with Putin.
Kyiv had also hoped that the minerals agreement would encourage Trump to back Ukraine's war effort, and that it could help win support for a fresh round of military aid from Republicans in Congress.
Instead, the fallout appears to signal the continuing decline in the US-Ukraine relationship.
In recent weeks, Trump has already falsely accused Zelenskyy of starting the war with Russia, while — a remark he subsequently tried to distance himself from.
The shift in the US' approach to the war in Ukraine has also been accompanied by stark criticisms of its allies across Europe.
