UK prime minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky witness UK's chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves signing a deal in support of Ukraine at Downing Street in London on March 1, 2025. Photo: VCG

After a White House meeting with US President Donald Trump that descended into a row between the two leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received a much warmer welcome in Europe, as he arrived in London to attend a summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer that showed support for Kiev. 

Although the summit's agenda will focus on the Ukraine crisis, Western countries, still shocked over the fierce clash in White House, are reeling not only because of the battlefield and Europe's security future, but also the painful realization that under US' "America First" approach, the transatlantic alliance is under risk of changing from one of shared values to a transactional relationship, Chinese observers said.

Starmer said on Sunday that Britain, France and Ukraine have agreed to work on a cease-fire plan to present to the US, which emerged after talks among the four countries' leaders following Zelensky's Oval Office blowout with Trump, AP reported. The prime minister repeated his assertion that American security guarantees will be needed to make it stick. 

The Sunday summit hosted by Starmer includes leaders from France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania. The Turkish foreign minister, NATO secretary-general and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council are set to attend, per the AP report. 

Zelensky arrived in London on Saturday and was greeted by Starmer at 10 Downing Street. Starmer expressed his country's "absolute determination" to stand with Zelensky and achieve "a lasting peace for Ukraine based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine," The New York Times reported. 

The two sides signed a 2.26 billion pound ($2.84 billion) loan for Ukrainian military supplies that will be repaid using profits from frozen Russian assets, the BBC reported.

In the White House shouting match on Friday local time, Trump lashed out at Zelensky, accusing him of not being "thankful" enough for US military aid. "You're gambling with World War III," Trump told Zelensky 

One US reporter even questioned, "Why don't you wear a suit?" and accused Zelensky of disrespecting the occasion. 

Zelensky was asked to leave the White House without signing a deal with the US that would have given the US significant access to develop Ukraine's valuable minerals.

US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who was in the Oval Office during the meeting, compared the Ukrainian leader to an "ex-girlfriend," who "wants to argue everything that you said nine years ago, rather than moving the relationship forward," Waltz said. 

Lü Xiang, an expert on US studies and research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that while the original plan was to discuss the mineral deal, both sides knew it was just a symbolic negotiation. "One could even say it was 'a child's play' - Trump wanted to show at home that he wasn't getting the short end of the stick, while Zelensky, realizing that the agreement couldn't bring any substantial benefits, proactively stirred up the conflict to display a tough attitude," Lü told the Global Times.


Europe shivering

While it was Zelensky who was grilled by the American leader, it has made the whole of Europe shiver, as many still cannot figure out why the new US administration has turned against them so furiously. "The blowup between the two leaders was the latest sign that Trump was pivoting American foreign policy away from traditional allies," The New York Times reported.

A flurry of messages in support of Ukraine were posted from leaders of multiple European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands - along with posts from the prime ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand - with Zelensky responding directly to each one to thank them for their support, the BBC reported. 

French President Emmanuel Macron said he was ready to "open the discussion" on a possible future European nuclear deterrent if Europe wanted to move toward "greater autonomy" in its defense capabilities, France24 reported.

Germany's outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote that "no one wants peace more than the citizens of Ukraine," with his replacement-in-waiting Friedrich Merz adding that "we stand with Ukraine" and "we must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war," per the BBC.

"Europe got used to a transatlantic alliance built on shared values for so long, but Trump's 'America First' approach has completely shifted this dynamic. The approach is moving the alliance from being about shared values to a transactional relationship," Jiang Feng, a professor of European Studies at the Shanghai International Studies University and president of the Shanghai Association of Regional and Country Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Europe now has to face the reality that international politics has entered an era where national interests come first. If Europe does not find a clear interest-driven direction in the current crisis and continues to passively follow the US' direction, it could end up in an even worse situation, Jiang said.

Lü Xiang said the US' "flip-flop" stance on Ukraine in two administrations has eroded trust from its allies. "The Biden administration used tough tactics to coerce Europe into supporting Ukraine. Trump's adjustment is not that he aims to weaken the alliance, but the result is a deeper crack," Lü noted.

The latest episode in the Washington-Kiev spat has ignited heated debates. While most Republicans backed Trump and Vance, some within the party and the Democrats expressed dismay. 

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, a moderate Republican, posted on X on Saturday: "I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin." While another GOP Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska said it was "a bad day for America's foreign policy."

Democrats lambasted the White House. "Trump and Vance are doing Putin's dirty work," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, and Senator Chris Coons said Zelensky deserved better for "fighting on the front lines of democracy," CNN reported.

Jiang described Trump's "realistic foreign policy" as "a high-risk gamble," noting that as US politics are already deeply divided, the key issue now is whether his policy can bring actual economic benefits to its people. If that succeeds, he will gain support despite opposition. However, if that fails, the US could face more chaos.