European leaders, including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, at a summit at Lancaster House, London, UK, March 2, 2025 (Neil Hall/EPA/Bloomberg)

EA on Al Jazeera’s Inside Story: Trump-Vance-Russia Assault on Zelensky and Ukraine

EA-ATP Geopolitics VideoCast: Trump’s Demolition of Security for Ukraine, Europe, and US

Sunday’s Coverage: Europe Stands With Zelensky and Ukrainians

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 2025 GMT:

The Trump Administration is reportedly planning to ease sanctions on Russia.

The White House has asked the State Department and Treasury to draft a list of sanctions for US officials to discuss with Russian representatives in the coming days. Officials are drawing up a proposal for lifting sanctions on select entities and individuals, including some Russian oligarchs.

It is unclear what Donald Trump and his inner circle are seeking in return.

UPDATE 1840 GMT:

Donald Trump has again attacked Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine, and Europe.

Triggered by Zelensky’s recognition that an end to the Russian invasion “is still very, very far away”, Trump railed:

This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer! It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?

Zelensky implicitly responded:

UPDATE 1447 GMT:

Ukraine’s commander of ground forces, Mykhailo Draptyi, says Russia struck a military training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region on Saturday during a formation exercise.

The ballistic missile was fired after an Orlan drone spotted a formation of soldiers about 100 km (62 miles) from the frontline.

Drapatyi did not disclose casualties, but promised the truth would not be hidden “in the fog of bureaucracy”.

“A tragedy at a training ground is a terrible consequence of an enemy strike. The war requires quick decisions, responsibility, and new safety standards; otherwise, we will lose more than we have,” Drapatyi said.

UPDATE 1440 GMT:

Incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has reiterated that recent signals from Washington highlighted the need to “act independently in Europe”.

He said Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s treatment of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House was “a manufactured escalation”. He noted “a certain continuity” in interventions by senior Administration officials, including Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference which railed against former European allies.

UPDATE 1433 GMT:

More than 30 former Polish political prisoners from the Soviet era, including 1983 Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Wałęsa, have signed a letter to Donald Trump expressing “horror and distaste” at his attempted humiliation of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.

The letter said the demands of Trump and J.D. Vance demands that Zelenskyy showed gratefulness were “insulting” in the face of Ukraine’s heroic fight for freedom.

The “atmosphere in the Oval Office reminded us of that we remember well from interrogations” by Poland’s communist secret services and regime courts, the signatories wrote.

The prosecutors and the judges, working on behalf of the omnipotent Communist party police, also told us that they held all the cards, and we held none.

We are shocked that you treated Volodymyr Zelensky in the same way.

They reminded Trump of US obligations under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which provides security guarantees for Ukraine in exchange for return of Soviet-era nuclear weapons.

UPDATE 1418 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted a video of recent Russian attacks and commented:

Six civilians were killed and 26 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine in the past 24 hours.

UPDATE 1028 GMT:

A Trump Administration official says Donald Trump will meet on Monday with senior advisors to discuss a suspension or cancellation of military aid for Ukraine.

The discussion will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The meeting will consider halting the latest shipments of ammunition and equipment authorized during the Biden Administration.

UPDATE 1007 GMT:

Using his Truth Social platform, Donald Trump has praised his bullying of Ukraine and has insulted Europe.

He circulated a post which declared that he is a “genius”: “Trump played both sides liked a master chess player. In the end, Zelensky will have no choice but to concede because, without US support, Ukraine cannot win a prolonged war against Russia.”

Trump added his commentary, “We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country – So that we don’t end up like Europe!”

UPDATE 0943 GMT:

UK Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard has explained, following up the initiative of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, that a deployment of troops in western Ukraine is possible as part of a security guarantee.

However, he said, this must have US input.

We want to make sure that we are able to present a plan for a lasting and durable peace that does include the US involvement, because if the US isn’t involved, we will struggle to get that durable peace.

Military deployments are possible. But the point is, we want a durable and lasting peace. And this is where it’s really important to understand the distinction between a short pause, which might be able to be achieved, but that doesn’t sustain a durable peace, because there’s a genuine worry by President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians that a short pause will simply allow the Russian forces to reconstitute, to rearm, to regroup and then to attack again.

UPDATE 0937 GMT:

Supporting the suggestion of his President Emmanuel Macron, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has suggested that a month’s truce in Ukraine would show if Vladimir Putin was acting in good faith and would be willing to negotiate a longer-term deal.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Facing the Trump Administration’s possible support of Russia’s three-year invasion, European leaders have tried to seize the initiative for the defense of Ukraine.

Meeting in London, the heads of government discussed security guarantees, leaving the door open for the US to return. They pledged additional military aid for Kyiv, including more than 5,000 air defense missiles from the UK.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who convened the gathering, said, “Not every nation will feel able to contribute but that can’t mean that we sit back. The UK is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air together with others, Europe must do the heavy lifting”.

He tabled an alternative to the US-Russia talks excluding Ukraine and Europe. He said the UK, France, and “possibly one or two others” will work with Kyiv on a plan to stop the invasion.

French President Emmanuel Macron suggested a one-month truce “in the air, on the seas, and on energy infrastructure” in Ukraine. The deployment of European troops on the ground would followed when Ukraine and Russia negotiated the details of a ceasefire.

Starmer emphasized that, despite the attempted humiliation of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky by Donald Trump and J.D. Vance on Friday, “The discussions we have had today, particularly on the coalition of the willing, is on the basis that this is a plan that we will work on with the US. That is the purpose of the plan.”

NATO head Mark Rutte was more cautious over any commitment. He told reporters that the first step is to make sure there is a peace deal before discussions about how to guarantee it.

Rutte preferred a focus on the “very good news” that “more European countries will ramp up defense spending”.

Zelensky: “Clear Support From Europe”

Zelensky responded in his nightly address to the nation:

Speaking to reporters, Zelensky empahsized a “constructive” approach to the Trump Administration. He said Ukraine is ready for its minerals deal with the US, suspended by the White House, to be signed.

At the same time, he issued the reminder that Russia is the attacker in this conflict: “I would not want this war…to be presented in some new light, that there are two parties at war, and it is vague who is the aggressor.”

The President said:

Security guarantees are needed for the people. They need to say, we believe in this so life comes back to the country, people are coming back.

If they are not coming back to the country, it means they do not have any confidence in the security guarantees.

If there were no hard guarantees, Russia would soon resume its invasion: “And who will win it that case? Russians. Not us for sure, not the US for sure,…not the European colleagues, for sure.”

Having been attacked by Trump and Vance — falsely — for ingratitude, he said:

Of course, we understand the importance of America, and we are grateful for all the support we’ve received from the United States. There has not been a day when we haven’t felt gratitude. It’s gratitude for the preservation of our independence – our resilience in Ukraine is based on what our partners are doing for us – and for their own security.

What we need is peace, not endless war. And that’s why we say security guarantees are the key to this.