Trump's Treatment of Zelensky Causes Dismay and Concern Within Europe

Image of a powerful nation ready to bully friends and foes hurts US reputation further

- Jonathan Eyal

European leaders have reacted with dismay to the public spat between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump, which unfolded before the world's TV cameras in the White House on Feb 28.

"Ukrainians are the attacked people," French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters on March 1. "They are fighting for their dignity, their independence, their children and the security of Europe. These are simple things, but it is good to remember them in times like these," Mr Macron added in a coded reference to the events in Washington.

"Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President @ZelenskyyUa," wrote Dr Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the European Union's executive body, on her X social platform posting, in a more explicit rebuke of President Trump's behaviour.

As seen from Europe, the extraordinary confrontation that unfolded in the White House destroyed a week of delicate diplomacy by the leaders of Britain and France, which was designed to reduce Western tensions.

The angry exchanges in the Oval Office also confirmed long-held suspicions that while the current US administration seeks an accommodation with Russia, it could not care less about Ukraine.

The consequences of all this for Ukraine will be grim.

The Feb 28 trip to Washington - Mr Zelensky's first since Mr Trump was sworn into office on Jan 20 - was always going to be a difficult mission.

Mr Trump has steadfastly refused to acknowledge that the present Ukraine war is the result of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukrainian territory unleashed in February 2022.

He has also made disparaging public remarks about Mr Zelensky, branding his Ukrainian counterpart a "dictator".

However, European leaders worked hard to minimise the risks of a public spat between the notoriously mercurial Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky.