Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
French President Emmanuel Macron personally called Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the evening of 28 February after his high-profile meeting with Donald Trump in Washington. According to DW, citing Financial Times journalist Christopher Miller, the call was a clear signal of Europe’s support for Ukraine.
The content of the conversation remains secret
What exactly the presidents discussed was not officially disclosed. However, after his conversation with Macron, Zelenskyy contacted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The content of this phone conversation has not yet been disclosed, but it took place against the backdrop of new statements by the North Atlantic Alliance.
A day earlier, Mark Rutte said that NATO was preparing a new aid package for Ukraine, including “billions of euros” and contributions to security guarantees. This decision was made after his telephone conversation with Donald Trump, which the NATO Secretary General called “excellent”.
The White House scandal: what happened between Zelensky and Trump?
Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington was supposed to be another step in strengthening relations between Ukraine and the United States. The agenda included the signing of a US-Ukraine minerals agreement.
However, the meeting in the Oval Office turned into a heated discussion. Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance pressed Zelenskyy to agree to a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
The US president has repeatedly accused Zelenskyy of not being grateful enough and even threatened to stop supporting Ukraine if Kyiv does not agree to the “deal”.
“You are risking World War III. And what you’re doing is extremely disrespectful to a country that has supported you more than many people said they should have,” Trump said.
The dispute reached its peak, after which Zelenskyy left the White House early, and the deal that was supposed to be signed was never concluded.
Macron and European leaders defend Zelenskyy
The reaction to the incident in Washington was not long in coming. After Zelenskyy’s dispute with Trump, Emmanuel Macron made a clear statement:
“The aggressor is Russia. And the victim of aggression is Ukraine. We must thank those who helped, but we must also respect those who have been fighting since the beginning.”
Other European politicians also expressed support for the Ukrainian president. The incident in the White House has only exacerbated questions about the future of US policy towards Ukraine. Will Trump, if he is finally entrenched in the White House, be able to change the course of American support?
Zelenskyy, in turn, responded to Trump’s criticism by saying:
“Ukraine needs a just and lasting peace, and we are working for that.”
