Zelensky and the European Summit

Aftermath of the Zelensky Trump fiasco

Talks between President Trump and Zelesky erupted in dismay on February 28th, leaving many to question and worry about the new Administration in the United States. Trump and Zelensky got into a heated debate over the validity of the Ukrainian war and Zelensky’s efforts to move towards peace, and the Vice President in addition expressed his woe that Zelensky did not even say ‘thank you’ once for the US’s support. During this meeting, Zelensky was continuously belittled and countered with wildly inaccurate information about the war in Ukraine. Trump reportedly told Zelensky, “you are gambling with World War lll”, and later told Zelensky to leave the white house. Unfortunately, nothing of importance was achieved on either party's agenda, and this meeting proved to be an international embarrassment to the United States. 

Although Zelensky has received much European support, he still recognizes the United States’ vital role in support for Ukraine. After military aid to Ukraine was frozen by President Trump on March 4th for ‘review’, Zelensky called for another meeting between the two leaders in hopes of a better outcome and relationship between the two nations. For now, European leaders are discussing how to support Ukraine and move forward in European defense without outside aid. 

The European Summit for Ukraine

A special European council was called to respond to the aftermath of the Zelensky Trump Meeting and to discuss European defense for Ukraine. The European Union has contributed substantially to the war effort in Ukraine, and have expressed their continual support of Ukraine and hopes for peace between the two warring nations. At the conference elected officials claimed, “The EU remains committed to supporting Ukraine, in coordination with its partners and allies. To date, the EU has provided €135.4 billion to Ukraine, including €49.2 billion in military support. Of the total assistance, 65% has been provided as grants or in-kind support and 35% in the form of highly concessional loans.” The nations of Europe understand that Putin’s threat of Ukraine domination will not just end with Ukraine, and Russia's war effort is a continual threat to international security. At the conference, the council created a list of respected principles to ensure a comprehensive, lasting peace is maintained between Ukraine and Russia. The council wrote, “there can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine, there can be no negotiations that affect European security without Europe’s involvement, any truce or ceasefire can only take place as part of a process leading to a comprehensive peace agreement, any peace agreement needs to be accompanied by robust and credible security guarantees for Ukraine that contribute to deterring future Russian aggression, peace must respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Russia’s war on Ukraine will prove to have lasting effects on more than just the nation of Ukraine. Europe will continually become more independent and ready to combat continual issues that arise on the continent.