💜After the explosive televised clash between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European leaders have come together to back Kyiv like never before.
After the public blowout in Washington, Zelenskyy received a warm welcome in London from UK PM Keir Starmer for the European Summit on the Russia-Ukraine war. At this summit, the UK and the rest of Europe noted that they were at "a crossroads in history﷽," referring to the divergence with US over Ukraine and Russia.
🐼Tensions had been building up since last month, after US Vice-President J D Vance's controversial speech at the Munich Security Conference and the US-Russia talks to end the war in Ukraine.
♓With the Trump administration cosying up to Russia and Vladmir Putin, Europe has realised that while the US is still part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, it can no longer rely on the country to come to its aid.
US And Europe At A Crossroads
Since Donald Trump ꦏtook over in the US, his European counterparts have been sidelined on Ukraine.
🎃Trump dialled Russian President Vladimir Putin directly to negotiate peace. This 90-minute phone call paved the way for US-Russia talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, leaving out Ukraine.
🀅These peace talks were held despite warnings from Ukraine and Europe about Putin not being a "trustworthy leader."
ꦑThese talks also came after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that two key objectives of Ukraine--restoring to pre-2104 borders and joining NATO--are "unrealistic."
𒉰The tensions between the US and Europe heightened further after JD Vance's speech at the Munich Security Conference.
JD Vance's Speech That Shook Europe
🏅About two weeks ago, US Vice President JD Vance left European leaders speechless at the Munich Security Conference.
🌠In an address which was expected to focus on European defence spending and the Ukraine war, Vance decided to lambast almost all European countries.
꧅Hitting out at Sweden, Germany, Romania and the UK among others, Vance criticised Europe's retreat from the West’s “shared democratic values” driven by excessive censorship of free speech.
✨The censorship in focus? EU threat to shut down social media during moments of civil unrest to ensure that hateful content is not spread; Germany's raids on anti-feminist and misogynistic speech; Sweden's jailing of a Christian activist who burnt the Quran, and the UK's establishment of "safe access zones” around abortion clinics which prohibit protests, harassment, or attempts to influence a person's decision.
🔯"The Cold War positioned defenders of democracy against much more tyrannical forces on this continent. Consider the side in that fight that censored dissidents, that closed churches, that cancelled elections—were they the good guys? Certainly not, and thank God they lost,” Vance said.
🎃The US VP further added that the biggest threat Europe faces is not from Russia or China, but "from within" as he raised issues of migration and how European leaders are "refusing" to work with hard-right parties in the government (which was a reference to AfD gaining prominence in Germany).
♌Munich Security Conference's Chairman Christoph Heusgen made an emotional speech as the two-day conference closed, signifying a strain in the US' ties with Europe.
🗹"This conference started as a transatlantic conference, but after the speech by Vice President Vance on Friday, we must fear that our common value base is not so common anymore,” Heusgen remarked, his voice breaking with emotion as he marked his last speech as chairman.
ওFollowing the stand-off between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House and the US' sharp shift in foreign policy, the Kremlin has also "appreciated" that Washington's foreign policy is now on the same page as Moscow.
After The Oval Office Spat, Where Does Europe Stand?
💃After the very public spat between Trump and Zelenskyy regarding the war in Ukraine, expressions of solidarity poured in for Ukraine and its president from Europe and beyond.
𓃲Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and President Edgars Rinkēvičs and others reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and stated that Kyiv "is not alone" in its battle, refuting the statement by Trump during the clash at the White House.
🍎After Washington, Zelenskyy came to London where NATO and European leaders had gathered for a security summit which signified their strengthened support for Ukraine.
🌱This display of support from Europe for Zelenskyy comes as a stark contrast to the statements issued by US officials such as National security advisor Michael Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others who accused Zelenskyy of disrespect.
✨The London gathering saw leaders from Germany, France, Canada, Poland and more. While no official statement was produced, the leaders vowed to boost and sustain greater military aid for Ukraine. Furthermore, the leaders also demanded that Ukraine be involved in any and all peace negotiations with Russia to end the war.
📖Trump has also criticised US' funding for Ukraine since 2022. To combat this, European leaders have vowed to "double down" and make sure Ukraine has enough to arm itself and fight Russian aggression.
𒀰This support for Ukraine increased after the disastrous White House meeting on Friday, which prompted Western allies and leaders to declare their support for Kyiv as the war rages on.
🦩Since 2022, along with the US, Western allies have provided Ukraine with military aid. Apart from the US, Germany, UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, France, Canada and Finland have sent aid--military, humanitarian and financial--to Ukraine.
💦With the recent rift with the United States, Britain and France are now working towards establishing a peacekeeping force to send into Ukraine.
🐻These troops will be sent into Kyiv after a peace deal is signed. As per UK PM Starmer "a number of countries" have volunteered to send troops for this force, but he did not announce any names.
🍌Furthermore, European NATO countries have vowed to increase their defence spending from 2 per cent to 3 per cent of the GDP, a vow which is already being carried out in the UK.
ꩵNATO countries such as Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, have also pledged to give Ukraine 65 or more of the US-made planes, which they had been planning to retire from their air forces. Tanks, air defence systems and more have been sent in by ally nations, who have vowed for more steadfast support now.
