EU chiefs back Zelensky, question US leadership after Trump clash

US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 28, 2025.[AFP]

The EU's top officials assured Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky of Europe's unwavering support after his Oval Office confrontation with Donald Trump on Friday, while the bloc's top diplomat openly questioned America's continued leadership of the West.

"Be strong, be brave, be fearless," Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council representing the bloc's 27 states, wrote in a joint statement on social media.

"You are never alone, dear President Zelensky," they wrote. "We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace."

Costa spoke with the Ukrainian leader on Friday evening "to express the EU's support," said an official from the bloc.

Separately, the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas questioned America's leadership after the extraordinary clash in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky for failing to show gratitude for US help in repelling Russia's invasion.

"Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It's up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge," Kallas wrote on social media following the incident.

"Ukraine is Europe! We stand by Ukraine," she wrote. "We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the aggressor."

Europe has been scrambling for a strong and unified position since the US president sidelined Kyiv and its backers on the continent by launching talks directly with Russia to end the three-year war.

Both Costa and von der Leyen are to take part along with Zelensky in a meeting of European leaders Sunday in London that is intended to drive forward action on Ukraine.

Days later, on March 6, Zelensky has been invited to a special EU summit to discuss possible European "security guarantees" for Kyiv, and hopefully strike a deal on a new package of weaponry.

Trump's team has not only sparked fear in Europe over Ukraine but also about Washington's commitment to protecting its NATO allies -- and the upcoming meetings will focus both on supporting Ukraine and finding ways to ramp up the bloc's defences faced with an aggressive Russia.