THE OBSERVER – EDITORIAL: With or without the US, Europe must learn to defend itself, and Ukraine, against Russian aggression
he treatment of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, by the US president, Donald Trump, during what appears to have been a staged confrontation in the White House in front of the world’s press, marks one of the most profoundly shocking moments in US diplomacy in decades.
In this crass and deeply disturbing performance, the wartime leader of a democratic European country that is fighting against an illegal invasion by Russia, which has seen its citizens killed and cities bombed indiscriminately, was subjected to a vicious, ignorant and mendacious attack that was designed to humiliate.
Many watching the antics of Trump and his vice-president, JD Vance – and the subsequent cheerleading from their far-right political allies – will have been sickened by what they saw: an American president channelling the words of Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. In the cold light of the day that has followed, the world – and Europe in particular – has woken to the most uncomfortable of realities.
The US, the country that has styled itself the indispensable nation, has aligned itself with the enemies of peace and democracy. If “America first” marks simply a shattering moment of US isolationism not seen since the run-up to America’s entry into the Second World War, this would be devastating enough. But, as they gather in London tomorrow, European leaders, Keir Starmer among them, must recognise that the contours of European and global security have been transformed. » | Observer editorial | Saturday, March 1, 2025
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How JD Vance emerged as the chief saboteur of the transatlantic alliance: Vance snaked his way in first to the row between Trump and Zelenskyy, his second intrusion this month after Munich »
Starmer plays royal card as he tiptoes around the madness of King Donald: The British prime minister is the latest would-be Trump whisperer from Europe to butter up a capricious president »
UK gives royal welcome to Zelenskyy after White House meltdown: King Charles to hold official audience for Ukrainian president as show of support after Trump clash »
‘Bewildering’: US media and politicians react to Trump’s televised attack on Zelenskyy: The showdown between the US president and the Ukrainian leader dumbfounded various outlets and politicos »
