Politico: Trump–Zelenskyy fallout sends shockwaves through European capitals

Top diplomats in Paris, London and Berlin have "sweated" over how to try and "repair the badly damaged relationship" between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy after their infamous confrontation in the White House back in February 2025.

An insightful article Politico looks back at the events that unfolded following the diplomatic collision that took place live on air during Zelenskyy's visit to the White House for the signing of a mineral deal between the two countries.

The hot dispute put the transatlantic relationship into question, which sent European leaders rushing to review their security doctrines, and "diplomats to try to salvage what remains of the post-World War II order."

French diplomats, in particular, acted as intermediaries in discussing the terms of a “reconciliation letter” from the Ukrainian president to the head of the White House.

European government sources shared with the publication that the biggest concern following the public clash was that Trump’s rhetoric "felt [...] hauntingly close to the Kremlin’s own messaging" in regards to the claim that Ukraine is responsible for starting the war.

According to the article, European leaders scrambled to respond when news broke about a major incident involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Oval Office visit.

French President Emmanuel Macron was apparently in the middle of a TV interview during his visit to Portugal where je watched the footage immediately afterward and called Zelenskyy from his plane en route to Paris.

In Germany, CDU leader Friedrich Merz received the footage during a long drive and quickly made several phone calls before posting a public message of support for Zelenskyy. Just days later, Merz announced a major policy shift: relaxing Germany’s debt brake for defense spending and introducing a €500 billion stimulus plan.

Meanwhile, the article reports that British Foreign Secretary David Lammy returned to Heathrow feeling optimistic after US talks, only for his team to be overwhelmed by the fallout from Zelenskyy’s visit, which soon overshadowed domestic political concerns.

Politico believes that "the relationship between the American president and his Ukrainian counterpart are still on edge" and that the conflict in Ukraine has merely taken a backseat in recent weeks in global media headlines due to more pressing issues emerging, such as Washington's aggressive trade policies.

By Nazrin Sadigova