In international politics, last week ended with a summit on Ukraine in London, which highlighted differences between the United States and its European allies over the end of Russia's war against Ukraine and the figure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
An Oval Office meeting between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump two days ago added to the significance of the March 2 talks, hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The meeting included dozens of European leaders, including the Ukrainian president.
Also present were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa.
No US representative attended the conference, although Starmer stated before the summit that the United Kingdom, France and Ukraine, "and perhaps one or two others", would work on a peace plan to discuss with Washington.
If there were doubts before, it will now be clearer than ever to Zelensky that his country enjoys great moral support on the European continent.
Both Starmer and French President Macron, during their respective visits to the White House on February 27 and 24, urged Trump not to abandon Ukraine and to take a strong stance towards Russia, while praising the US president's plans for a quick peace to end the three-year war.
Macron's visit coincided with the third anniversary of the invasion, when the United States shocked world opinion by joining Russia in voting against a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Moscow's aggression against Ukraine.
And after Zelensky's own visit to Washington on February 28 was cut short after a clash with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, he received many messages of solidarity from Europe.
The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said that "the free world needs a new leader," in an implicit criticism of Trump, while Von der Leyen told Zelensky: "Your dignity honors the courage of the Ukrainian people," in a post on X.
There will also be material aid from Europe, with Starmer and Zelensky agreeing a £2.26 billion loan for Ukraine. Zelensky said this would be paid for “using proceeds from frozen Russian assets”, after a warm reception in London.
But could European aid be enough to make up for a potential funding shortfall from the United States – the largest contributor of military aid to Ukraine – now that relations between Washington and Kiev are at their worst point in a decade?
This is the question that worries decision-makers in Europe, after the fierce clash between Zelensky and Trump in front of reporters at the White House, where Trump presented himself as a "mediator" between Moscow and Kiev, instead of a staunch ally of the latter.
"Either you make a deal, or we walk away," Trump said, during a tense exchange that appeared to unnerve Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova.
On March 2, in response to criticism that he has become too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump tweeted that Americans should "spend less time worrying about Putin" and focus more on "the gangs of immigrant rapists, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions coming into our country - so we don't end up like Europe!"
For his part, Zelensky characterized Putin as "a murderer" who cannot be trusted to respect a ceasefire agreement without strong security guarantees from the United States, which Washington has yet to provide.
The Ukrainian president has said he still believes the bilateral relationship can be saved, despite the clash appearing to have for the time being derailed a deal between Kiev and Washington over Ukraine's vital minerals and post-war reconstruction.
Some of the key decision-makers on the European side of the Atlantic have said this needs to happen quickly.
NATO Secretary General Rutte said he had suggested to Zelensky that he repair the relationship with Trump.
Zelensky appeared to be coming around to accepting this advice, saying later in his nightly video address: "Of course, we understand the importance of America and are grateful for all the support we have received from the United States."
"Not a day has passed without feeling gratitude. Because this is a gratitude for preserving our independence: Our stability in Ukraine is based on what our partners do for us and for their security," he added.
"There will be diplomacy for peace. And it will happen for the sake of all of us who stand together – Ukraine, all of Europe, and above all America," he added.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who enjoys good relations with Trump, said she hoped her country could be "a bridge" to mend Kiev-Washington relations ahead of the London summit, adding that it was "very, very important" to avoid a rift in the Western coalition.
Beyond Ukraine, Europe is concerned about the future of European defense as a whole, with Trump repeatedly describing the NATO alliance as an excessive burden on the United States, while demanding that its members significantly increase military spending.
But, aside from increasing military spending or using the proceeds from frozen Russian assets, what can European countries do to strengthen their defenses, which experts describe as insufficient without US support?
Speaking to Radio Free Europe in London, Russia expert Edward Lucas detailed plans for a "re-armament bank" that has already received public support from officials such as British Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Lucas said such a bank would be modeled after the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), an institution funded by capital contributions from member states, initially to support infrastructure construction in Central and Eastern Europe and its transition to market capitalism in the 1990s.
"We need to show Donald Trump that Europe is serious, and that's important for what's left of the alliance's cohesion. We need to show Putin that we're serious, and that's important for deterrence. And we need to show the Ukrainians that we're serious about our support for them, so that they can keep their morale up," Lucas said./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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