Rabat – Following yesterday’s heated talks between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, several European leaders have taken to their X accounts to show solidarity with the Ukrainian president.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is to host a high-stakes diplomatic summit on Sunday, bringing together over a dozen European leaders to address defense concerns and the ongoing Ukraine crisis.
Ahead of Sunday’s main event, Starmer, who recently returned from Washington where he met with Trump, is scheduled to hold separate talks today with President Zelensky and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The summit will feature representation from major European powers including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, alongside NATO members like Turkey, Poland, and the Netherlands.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa will also attend.
A British government spokesperson stressed the UK’s commitment to “playing its full role in achieving a just and lasting peace, supported by robust security guarantees.”
The UK official referred in particular to his country’s recent pledge to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 as evidence of this commitment.
Meanwhile, attention remains focused on the tense exchange between Trump and Zelensky at the Oval Office.
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Russian officials were quick to ridicule what former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev described as a “harsh reprimand.”
Trump notably accused the Ukrainian president of “disrespecting the US” and “disbelieving” the country’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Following the meeting, Trump bluntly stated that Zelensky was not ready for peace and had shown “disrespect” toward the US.
The US president further noted that his administration would offer “no concessions” to Kyiv and that Zelensky would only be welcome at the White House when he is “ready for peace.”
Zelesnky took to his X account to express gratitude for US support to Ukraine and its people. “Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” he wrote.
The dramatic encounter has fundamentally reshaped diplomatic calculations as European leaders now rally to show solidarity with Ukraine.
Before the main summit, Starmer will convene a smaller meeting with the Baltic nations—Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, whose proximity to Russia makes them particularly invested in the conflict’s outcome.
