A dozen European leaders were in Kyiv on Monday, honoring the third anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine at a tumultuous moment for the besieged nation.
Several leaders promised continued military support for Ukraine in a renewed show of support in contrast to the Trump administration’s pursuit of a ceasefire and more friendly relations with Moscow.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were among the leaders in Ukraine.
“The autocrats around the world are watching very carefully whether there’s any impunity if you violate international borders or invade your neighbor, or if there is true deterrence,” von der Leyen told a conference in Kyiv.
Since coming into office, the Trump administration has pivoted away from supporting Ukraine militarily and is now pushing both sides to end the conflict while simultaneously also pushing Europe to do more to help Ukraine and improve its own militaries.
European Council President Antonio Costa, who was also in Kyiv for the anniversary, announced on Sunday the convening of a special European Council on March 6.
“We are living a defining moment for Ukraine and European security,” Costa said on Sunday. “In my consultations with European leaders, I’ve heard a shared commitment to meet those challenges at EU level: strengthening European Defence and contributing decisively to peace on our continent and long-term security of Ukraine.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth traveled to Europe earlier this month and during that trip, he publicly told the U.S.’s NATO allies that U.S. is not “primarily focused on the security of Europe,” and encouraged all of them to increase their defense spending.
Senior Trump administration officials met with their Russian counterparts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last week. They excluded European and Ukrainian allies from the meeting. The U.S. and Russia agreed to restart diplomatic efforts in each country — a much different strategy than the previous administration, which worked with the U.S.’s European allies to isolate Russia.
After Zelensky declined an initial U.S. proposal that called for allowing U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, Trump called the Ukrainian leader a “dictator” and claimed he was responsible for the war. This position is mainly held by Russia and contradictory to the position nearly all Western leaders hold, which is that Russia is responsible for invading its neighbor.
US-UKRAINE RELATIONSHIP REACHES INFLECTION POINT ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF WAR
Zelensky then accused Trump of living in a “disinformation space,” which angered the president, who then said the Ukrainian leader was not important to the negotiations to end the war. Several U.S. officials warned the Ukrainian leader to tone down his criticism of the president.
One of the Trump administration officials involved in the negotiations, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, said he expects Ukraine to agree to the deal “this week.”