UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer embraces Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy outside 10 Downing Street, London, UK, March 1, 2025 (Chris J. Ratcliffe/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

Saturday’s Coverage: Trump and Vance Attack Zelensky and Ukrainian Security

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 2205 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters that he does not want to talk about the attempt by Donald Trump and J.D. Vance to humiliate him in the White House on Friday.

Zelensky said, “If we are constructive, the positive result will come.”

I travelled in the train for 12 hours, then I flew for 11 hours, because the President of the United States invited me, and that is one of our main partners. For me, it is a gesture of respect to be in the White House, when the president invites me.

He said he never meant to “insult” anyone, but it was “very important for me that Ukrainian position is heard”.

He said the US-Ukraine deal on minerals is now ready to be signed, but emphasized remembering 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,” he said.

The President continued:

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.”

UPDATE 2201 GMT:

French President Emmanuel Macron says he and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have suggested a one-month truce “in the air, on the seas, and on energy infrastructure” in Ukraine.

He suggested that any deployment of European troops on the ground will only follow later, “not in the coming weeks”, when Ukraine and Russia negotiate the details of the deal.

“We want peace. But we don’t want it at any price, without guarantees,” he summarized.

UPDATE 2110 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted:

UPDATE 2104 GMT:

Danish Prime Mette Frederiksen has posted on social media about three priorities.

We have to make Ukraine as strong as possible: Supply weapons. Strengthen their defense industry.

At the same time, we must weaken Russia’s war economy. With more and stiffer sanctions…..

We need to use our economic strength to become military stronger.

She concluded:

Europe needs to wake up. We don’t want a war We need to avoid it. That’s why we must be able to deter Russia from attacking Europe again.

Now we’re heading home. The European unity is strong. This makes me optimistic. Because we need this more than ever.

UPDATE 2010 GMT:

Asked about Canadian troops as part of a deployment to protect vital facilities inside Ukraine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says:

Canada has looked at the ways it can best help and as I’ve said a few days ago, everything’s on the table….

We’re not going to get ahead of the discussions on how to keep a peace that isn’t yet in place, but Canada will be there and is open to doing what is necessary.

Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof called for “continued support for Ukraine” and a European plan for “robust security guarantees”, as “a safe Ukraine is in the interest of all of Europe and therefore also of the Netherlands”.

French President Emmanuel Macron posted:

UPDATE 2005 GMT:

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has praised a “historic” meeting at a time of “a great challenge for entire Europe, not just the EU and Ukraine”.

As he noted there is “no doubt who is the aggressor and who is the aggressed, and who has got Europe on their side”, he spoke of the discussion of “taking on more responsibility” for military and defense funding.

He is looking at the forthcomoing summit of the European Council with “cautious optimism” that it will “send a very clear impulse showing Putin and Russia that no one here, in the west, intends to surrender to his blackmail and aggression”.

UPDATE 1927 GMT:

Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said the “valuable” meeting was “valuable” in London was an opportunity to re-affirm Europe’s support for Ukraine as “the victim of Russian aggression”.

Scholz’s Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats of Friedrich Merz, likely to be the next Chancellor, are discussing the establishment of two special funds — one for defense and a second for infrastructure — potentially worth hundreds of billions of euros.

The funds would be approved in March during the current Parliament before a new government is formed.

UPDATE 1824 GMT:

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed:

We will go further to develop a coalition of the willing to defend a deal in Ukraine and to guarantee the peace.

Not every nation will feel able to contribute, but that can’t mean that we sit back.

Instead, those willing will intensify planning now with real urgency. The UK is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air, together with others.

In addition to a £2.2 billion ($2.77 billion) loan announced on Saturday, Starmer confirmed £1.6 billion ($2 billion) in UK export finance for Ukraine to buy more than 5,000 air defense missiles.

“This will be vital for protecting critical infrastructure now and strengthen Ukraine in securing the peace when it comes because we have to learn from the mistakes of the past. We cannot accept a weak deal like Minsk, which Russia can breach with ease,” he said.

THe Prime Minister emphasized:

I do not want conflict in Ukraine, in Europe, and certainly not in the United Kingdom. I want stability in the United Kingdom.

The way to ensure that stability is to ensure that we are able to defend a deal in Ukraine, because the one thing our history tells us is that if there is conflict in Europe, it will wash up on our shores.

Saying the leaders will meet again soon, he asserted, “We are at a crossroads in history today. This is not a moment for more talk. It’s time to act.”

UPDATE 1700 GMT:

A 53-year-old woman has been killed and at least 10 people injured by a Russian drone attack on a shuttle bus in Kherson city in southern Ukraine.

Four of the wounded are in serious condition.

UPDATE 1652 GMT:

Speaking after the leaders’ meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised a “good and frank discussion” to put Ukraine in a position of strength.

She said Ukraine needs “comprehensive security guarantees”. Adding “we urgently have to rearm Europe”, she said the Commission will present a plan at the European Council on Thursday.

It is now of utmost importance to step up the defence investment for a prolonged period of time. It’s for the security of the European Union, and we need…in the geostrategic environment in which we live, to prepare for the worst, and therefore stepping up the defences.

Asked about her message for the Trump Administration, she said, “We are ready, together with you, to defend democracy and the principle that there is a rule of law, that you cannot invade … and bully your neighbour or cannot change borders with force.”

UPDATE 1621 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted after meeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni:

UPDATE 1257 GMT:

After a call between leaders of the three Baltic States and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda posts:

My takeaways:

– We should not spare our effort to maintain a strong transatlantic bond.

– US and Ukraine should return to the negotiation table, together with Europeans.

– Nato eastern flank safety is a priority.

– European peace enforcement – a possible element of security guarantees for Ukraine.

UPDATE 1213 GMT:

At their meeting in London, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has told British counterpart Keir Starmer:

We are all very committed about a goal that we all want to achieve, which is a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

I think it is very, very important that we avoid the risk that the West divides. I think on this the UK and Italy can play an important role in bridge-building.

UPDATE 1157 GMT:

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says the “foreign policy” of Donald Trump and Russia are broadly aligned.

“The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision,” Peskov said.

UPDATE 1140 GMT:

Before departing for London, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, “It has to be clear that…Poland is on the side of Ukraine, without any buts.”

He said Europe should still work on “the closest possible alliance” with the US, even if the Trump Administration’s position is “not as straightforward as ours” on Russia’s invasion.

A Europe that understands its global potential, its status as a superpower, will not be an alternative to the US, but the most wanted ally. In the end, that’s what Trump wants, for Europe to take much greater responsibility for its security.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted:

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said:

The goal for all of us is a just peace, a peace that holds.

We have to, even more, militarily help Ukraine, and we have to in the future make Ukraine militarily stronger, because only that will be a guarantee of long-term peace.

UPDATE 1130 GMT:

Appearing on the BBC, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour dismantles the blame-Zelensky, blame-Ukraine posturing of Trump spokesperson Greg Swenson:

Trump and J.D. Vance have flipped the actual narrative on its head, blaming President Zelensky for his country being invaded, calling him a dictator, delegimitizing him and Ukraine when everybody know they are the victims.

UPDATE 1120 GMT:

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says, that after discussions with Ukrainian and French Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron, the UK, France, and “possibly one or two others” will work with Kyiv on a plan to stop the Russian invasion.

Starmer told the BBC’s that the agreed proposal will be presented to the US.

I think we’ve got a step in the right direction.

We have to find a way that we can all work together. Because, in the end, we’ve had three years of bloody conflict. Now we need to get to that lasting peace.

The leader of the UK’s opposition Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, gave full support to Zelensky:

UPDATE 0850 GMT:

Protesters gathered across the US on Saturday to support Ukraine and challenge the Trump Administration’s attempted humiliation of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in Waitsfield, Vermont as J.D. Vance visited the state for a ski trip with his family.

The protest had been planned earlier in the week, but some people said they were motivated by Vance and Donald Trump’s verbal assault on Zelensky in the White House.

They held signs such as “Vermont stands with Ukraine” and “International embarrassment” and waved Ukrainian flags in solidarity. Fox TV aired video but blurred out signs with messages against Vance and in favor of Ukraine.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Waitsfield on Saturday morning to protest Vice President JD Vance, who is visiting Vermont with his family for a ski trip this weekend.

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— Vermont Public (@vermontpublic.org) March 1, 2025 at 4:38 PM

Hundreds gathered in New York’s Times Square, many with the blue-and-yellow flag of Ukraine on their backs. Near Los Angeles, a pro-Ukraine crowd rallied in front of a facility of Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Protesters on Boston Common held an “emergency rally” for “fair peace” for Ukraine.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: European leaders extended support for Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, a day after Donald Trump and J.D. Vance tried to humiliate Ukraine’s President in the White House as they threaten Ukrainian and European security.

The leaders, as well as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will convene in London today to review the week’s developments, particularly over security guarantees to Ukraine amid Russia’s three-year full-scale invasion.

French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Washington to present a plan in which US airpower would cover a deployment of troops from France, Britain, and other NATO counteries in western Ukraine. The initiative was undone by Trump and Vance’s verbal assault on Zelensky and the eviction of Ukrainian officials from the White House, leaving a US-Ukraine minerals deal unsigned.

On Saturday night, Starmer welcomed Zelensky at his residence, 10 Downing Street, in London. The Prime Minister said:

Three years on from Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we are at a turning point. Now is the time for us to unite in order to guarantee the best outcome for Ukraine, protect European security and secure our collective future.

Starmer told Zelensky that the cheering outside was “the people of the United Kingdom coming out to demonstrate how much they support you, how much they support Ukraine”. He added:

I have absolute determination…to achieve what we both want to achieve, which is a lasting peace – a lasting peace for Ukraine based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine, so important for Ukraine, so important for Europe and so important for the United Kingdom.

Zelensky replied: “We count on your support, and we’re really happy that we have such partners and such friends.”

In a sign of solidarity, King Charles will host the President in an ­official audience at the Sandringham palace.

UK and Italy Aid to Ukraine

The UK and Ukraine concluded an agreement for a loan to Kyiv of £2.26 billion ($2.84 billion), backed by frozen Russian assets.

The loan is part of the G7;s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration credit initiative.

The loan will go towards “purchasing defense equipment according to Ukraine’s needs,” said Ukraine’s Finance Ministry.

Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko noted:

Italy and Ukraine signed an agreement for provision of €13 million ($13.5 million) to Kyiv’s Energy Support Fund.

“This assistance will allow us to procure essential equipment and strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s energy system at a time when the enemy is relentlessly attacking energy facilities,” said Ukraine’s Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala noted:

Roman Andarak.,

And Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock noted succinctly, “A new era of wickedness has begun.”