European leaders to meet in London tomorrow for ‘defence summit’

US vice-president J.D. Vance rudely and aggressively accused Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelinskyy of being “disrespectful” to the US and the US President before asking him, “Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” Well, the Ukrainian President has been saying ‘thank you’ multiple times since then as messages of support and solidarity pour in from across Europe.

European leaders will gather for a defence summit in London on Sunday, which many UK newspapers describe as taking on renewed importance following the diplomatic spat between Donald Trump and Zelenskyy.

The insults hurled at Zelenskyy by both the US President and vice-president, his public humiliation, and President Trump clearly indicating that he was not ready to even hear anything against Russia, however, shocked European leaders, who quickly rallied around Ukraine and Zelenskyy as #TrumpIsANationalDisgrace began trending on X.

The future does look grim for Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian President, who had travelled to the White House in the hope of signing a ‘rare earth mineral deal’ with the US and wrest a security guarantee in return, left the White House without signing the deal. The US President also made it clear that he would not provide any security guarantees even when Zelenskyy asked, what if Russia goes back on his commitment and breaks the ceasefire as in the past?

“Dear Volodymyr @zelenskyyua, we stand with #Ukraine in good and in testing times. We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war,” posted Friedrich Merz, in line to be the next German Chancellor.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted, “Russia illegally and unjustifiably invaded Ukraine. For three years now, Ukrainians have fought with courage and resilience. Their fight for democracy, freedom, and sovereignty is a fight that matters to us all. Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine and Ukrainians in achieving a just and lasting peace.”

“The security of Ukraine is crucial for the security of Europe. We all need to stand together to fight for our values, freedom, and peace,” messaged Ilie Bolojan, President of Romania. Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar in a message to Zelenskyy said, “Slovenia upholds the principles and respect of international law and international relations. What we witnessed in the Oval Office today undermines these values and the foundations of diplomacy. We stand firmly in support of Ukraine's sovereignty. We repeat, Russia is the aggressor…”.

“New Zealand remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine as it defends itself in a war that Russia started. It's mounting the defence of a proud, democratic and sovereign nation, but also the defence of international law,” posted Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. “We must… respect those who have been fighting since the beginning,” said French President Macron to reporters in Portugal before posting on X, “There is one attacker: Russia. There is one people under attack: Ukraine.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also wrote on X: “Dear President Zelenskyy, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone”.  “Ukraine, Spain stands with you” wrote Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on X in three languages, Spanish, English and Ukrainian. Leaders of Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Norway, Finland, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Ireland have also spoken in Zelenskyy’s support.