Trump-Zelensky Row Prompts Europe To Regroup, Evaluate Its Security Options

After a very public clash with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky received a royal welcome in Britain, as the United Kingdom and the European Union demonstrate their "unwavering" support to him. The Ukrainian president is in London to attend a summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, where he's also set to hold an official audience with at Sandringham. 

The Friday's extraordinary scenes in the Oval Office will now likely dominate the agenda of Zelensky's London visit, and refocus the conversation on how Europe and Ukraine can get the US back on side as a security guarantor for any peace deal with Russia.

Since the White House row, the European leaders, including those from Germany, France, Spain, Poland, and the Netherlands, have posted social media messages backing Ukraine - with Zelensky responding directly to each one to thank them for their support.

The second Trump administration's sudden detente with Russia, which started with a phone call between Trump and Putin, and then the beginning of initial talks with senior Russian officials over ending the war sidelining the Europeans and Ukraine, before the humiliating scenes at the White House, has jolted European governments into action with fear that the United States may abandon Europe altogether.

They worry that if the Trump administration forces a weak peace deal over Ukraine, it would embolden Russia, making Moscow a bigger threat to the rest of Europe. The change in America's stance has also made achieving greater self-reliance for Europe more urgent than ever.

European Concerns 

The United States alone has spent about $114 billion on aid for Ukraine since the start of the war three years ago, compared to Europe's $132 billion, according to a report by The New York Times. 

Without American support, if Russia breaks the ceasefire agreement, the odds of stopping Kermelin forces would be significantly reduced, leaving European troops in Ukraine - stationed at key Ukrainian infrastructure sites - more exposed to probing Russian aggression.

That's why, despite Friday's fall, Ukraine is still seeking a security guarantee from Washington to deter Russia from relaunching its war in the near future. 

In fact, top European officials are meeting this week to discuss defense, first in London on Sunday, and then in Brussels on Thursday at a special summit of the European Council to discuss the proposal to beef up EU defenses faster than previously expected, and to more clearly define possible security guarantees for Ukraine.

Building an independent European defence architecture is the second and longer-term security concern for Europe. Almost 80 years after the end of World War II, America still maintains over 30 military bases across Europe, including in Germany and Britain, where over 60,000 military personnel are stationed.

As per NYT report, EU nations have been increasing their military spending in recent years - spending 30 percent more last year than in 2021. Despite that, some NATO countries, including France and Germany, are still short of the goal of members' spending 2 per cent or more of their gross domestic product on defense, leaving it to the US to prop up the alliance.

Trump's America has made it clear that it wants Europe to spend more on their own defence, and be the majority stakeholder in maintaining the peace in Ukraine. 

"It's just not fair or sustainable," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an interview with Fox News this week describing the outsized role that the US has played in funding NATO for years,

However, it would likely take years for Europe to build the weapons systems and capabilities needed to be truly independent militarily. But the Friday's row has prompted calls for fast action, with some European leaders hoping that even countries that have been reluctant to increase the defence spending and support for Ukraine will now get on board with a more ambitious approach.

"A powerful Europe, we need it more than ever," President Emmanuel Macron of France posted on social media. "The surge is now."