The EU foreign policy chief has declared that “the free world needs a new leader”, as European leaders threw their support behind Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the stunning White House confrontation between him and Donald Trump.
Leaders from across Europe expressed their solidarity with the Ukrainian leader after the fractious exchange with JD Vance, the US vice-president, and Trump, who claimed he was not “ready for peace” and accused him of “gambling with world war three”.
Although in general, the European leaders did not name the US president, their comments late on Friday laid bare the gaping rift between the US and its traditional allies in Europe over the war in Ukraine.
In a social media post, Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, wrote: “Ukraine is Europe! We stand by Ukraine. We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the aggressor.
“Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.”
I do hope that Trump is the galvanizing force that pushes the people of the EU (and perhaps others) towards Ukraine support, as well as everything else Trump and the right hate. The far right is gaining too much support, but if your average right leaning or moderate EU citizen sees just how bad it’s working out for the US, it might chill that movement a bit. At least, I hope so.
I don’t think the right-leaning EU citizens recognise this as a problem with the right. It’s too easy to say this is “an America specific problem” and “We’d never vote in a dumbass such as Trump.”
I honestly think this kind of learning will happen here absolutely not at all.
Why do you think that the EU and others haven’t been supporting Ukraine? They have.