European leaders rallied behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his heated exchange with Donald Trump on Friday, sparking global concerns and raising doubts about efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
The U.S. president openly berated Zelenskyy for not being "thankful," later accusing the Ukrainian leader of "not being ready for peace" and having "disrespected" the United States in the "cherished Oval Office."
European Union chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa assured Zelenskyy that "You are never alone."
"Be strong, be brave, be fearless," wrote the European commission and council presidents in a joint statement on social media, telling Zelenskyy: "We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace."
The bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas questioned America's leadership of the West. "Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It's up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge," she wrote on social media.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that Russia is the "aggressor" in the Ukraine war.
"There is an aggressor which is Russia. There is an aggressed people which is Ukraine," Macron told journalists, adding: "We were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and to continue to do so."
Later, Macron's office said he'd spoken by phone with Zelenskyy.
Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz assured his support to Zelenskyy in a posting on X.
"We must never confuse the aggressor and the victim in this terrible war," Merz said. The outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz also voiced support for Ukraine, as did Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock who added that Kyiv's "quest for peace & security is ours."
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of the closest partners of both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, thanked Trump for standing "bravely for peace."
"Strong men make peace, weak men make war," Orban wrote in a post on X.
"Dutch support for Ukraine remains undiminished. Especially now," Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X, adding "We want lasting peace and an end to the war of aggression that Russia has started."
Staunch Kyiv ally Poland moved to reassure Ukrainians after the dispute.
"Dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X in a post addressed to Zelenskyy.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his country would stand by war-torn Ukraine after the row.
"Ukraine, Spain stands with you," Sanchez, a staunch backer of Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion who pledged one billion euros of aid in a visit to Kyiv this week, wrote on X.
"For the first time, Trump told the truth to the cocaine clown's face," said former president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's security council, referring to Zelenskyy.
Kirill Dmitriev, one of Moscow's negotiators in the first high-level talks between Russian and U.S. officials since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine, branded the spat between the two leaders as "historic."
Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said Zelensky was "right" as "peace without guarantees is not possible"
"Cease-fire without guarantees is the way to Russian occupation of the entire European continent," Shmygal wrote on X.
Senate Democrats accused Trump and his Vice President JD Vance of siding with Putin.
"Trump and Vance are doing Putin's dirty work," Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer posted on social media.
