EU leaders on Thursday put on a show of solidarity with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a summit designed as a riposte to the hostile treatment of him by the Trump administration in the US.
Five days after the Ukrainian president was kicked out of the White House following a clash with President Donald Trump that led to the US suspending military aid and intelligence support to Kyiv, Zelenskyy was promised “enduring” support by all but one of the bloc’s leaders. They also pledged to increase their own defence capabilities in the face of an uncertain transatlantic bond.
Hungary’s pro-Russian premier Viktor Orbán refused to support a joint statement of support, forcing the other 26 leaders to issue a text. The split underscores the significant geopolitical shift created by Trump’s embrace of Russia.