Following Vladimir Zelensky’s controversial visit to the White House, a top EU official has expressed support for Ukraine.
EU diplomat Kaja Kallas implied that the U.S. may no longer be the“leader of the free world,” after President Trump reportedly rebuked Ukrainian President Zelensky for perceived disrespect and a lack of gratitude towards the American people.
The meeting between Zelensky, Trump, and Vice President Vance on Friday reportedly became contentious, with Zelensky allegedly asked to leave early without the signing of a US rights to Ukraine’s natural resources agreement, or holding a joint press conference.
Following the incident, Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, voiced her support for Zelensky on X, stating, “We stand by Ukraine.”
Kallas added, “We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the agressor [sic],” and declared, “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.”
Kallas has previously accused Trump of echoing “Russian narratives and talking points” regarding the Ukraine conflict and voiced concerns about what she described as a shift in Washington away from its European allies.
She also defended the EU’s democratic processes against criticisms made by Vance at the Munich Security Conference, remarks praised by Trump as “brilliant.”
“I refuse to accept that criticism, because it’s just simply not true,” Kallas said.
Recently, Trump has criticized Ukraine’s leadership, calling Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and suggesting that Kiev is partly responsible for the escalation of the conflict in 2022.
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