Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country felt the full support of its European allies after a summit in London over the weekend, as he reiterated the need for Western security guarantees as part of any agreement to secure a lasting end to the war sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion of his country three years ago. Ukraine fears Russia would renege on any peace deal that doesn’t carry with it the threat that Ukraine’s partners would come to its aid in case of a violation.
“For peace to be real, we need real security guarantees. And this is the position of all of Europe – the entire continent,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post Monday, three days after President Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused him of being “disrespectful” and failing to offer thanks during a contentious Oval Office meeting with news cameras rolling.
“Of course, we understand the importance of America, and we are grateful for all the support we’ve received from the United States,” Zelenskyy said Monday. “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.”
The Sunday summit of European leaders organized by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was already scheduled before the tense meeting in Washington between Zelenskyy and Mr. Trump, but it took on new meaning in the wake of the exchange.
Mr. Trump’s attitude toward Ukraine’s wartime president compounded existing concerns among European leaders about the current American administration’s commitment to ensuring not only Ukraine’s independence going forward, but European security in general as the continent faces an increasingly aggressive Russian state run by authoritarian leader Vladimir Putin.
“This is not a moment for more talk. It’s time to act,” Starmer said after the gathering with his fellow European leaders on Sunday. “Time to step up and lead and to unite around a new plan for a just and enduring peace.”
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After the summit on Sunday, Zelenskyy gave a briefing in Ukrainian in which he said he believed a peace deal with Russia “is still very, very far away,” but that Ukraine’s relationship with the U.S. would remain strong.
“I think our relationship (with the U.S.) will continue, because it’s more than an occasional relationship,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the support the U.S. has provided Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. His comments were covered by the Associated Press.
Later on Monday, Mr. Trump posted a link to the AP’s story covering Zelenskyy’s comments and criticized the Ukrainian leader.
“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!” Mr. Trump said. “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 U.S. – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?”
What came out of the London summit?
Starmer said Monday that there were “a number of options on the table” for possible peace plans to end the war Russia started, all of which were developed alongside Ukraine, but he said he didn’t want to get “into a running commentary on the options.”
“We have to learn from the mistakes of the past,” Starmer said. “We cannot accept a weak deal which Russia can breach with ease. Instead, any deal must be backed by strength.”
Ahead of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron told local media one possible plan would involve a monthlong ceasefire, but covering only the air, sea and energy infrastructure, not the ongoing and deadly ground fighting.
After the summit, Starmer announced four key points that he said had been agreed to by the European leaders:
- To maintain military aid flowing to Ukraine and continue applying economic pressure on Russia
- That Ukraine must be present at any peace talks, and that any lasting peace must guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty and security
- To boost Ukraine’s defensive capabilities if a peace deal is agreed to halt the war
- To create a “coalition of the willing” to help defend any peace deal that is implemented in Ukraine.
Starmer also announced a new agreement that will enable Ukraine to obtain about $2 billion worth of missiles made in Northern Ireland to continue its war effort.
Ripple effects from White House meeting still being felt
Russia has lauded Mr. Trump in the wake of his clash with Zelenskyy, which came after a week that saw the U.S. leader echo false talking points Moscow has pushed since it launched its full-scale invasion, including the assertion that Ukraine started the war and that Zelenskyy is an illegitimate leader.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that “the Kyiv regime and Zelenskyy do not want peace,” adding that the clash between Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy, “demonstrated how difficult it will be to reach a settlement trajectory around Ukraine.”
“It is very important that someone forces Zelenskyy himself to change his position,” Peskov said. “Someone has to make Zelenskyy want peace. If the Europeans can do it, they should be honored and praised.”
In the meantime, Russia has continued hammering Ukraine with deadly airstrikes. More than 80 explosive drones were launched at Ukraine overnight, killing at least eight people, including a 7-year-old child, CBS News’ partner network BBC News reported Monday.
Zelenskyy said Sunday that Ukraine was still willing to sign a minerals deal with the Trump administration which would grant the U.S. access to Ukraine’s prized natural resources. He had been expected to sign the deal during his visit to Washington last week, but never committed to it in advance as it was unclear whether Ukraine was being offered security guarantees in exchange for its mineral wealth, and he was then asked to leave the White House early following the tense exchange with Mr. Trump.
U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz, speaking Monday on Fox News, said it seemed as though Zelenskyy was “not ready to talk peace.” He said, however, that if the Ukrainian leader is seen as changing that stance, showing he “has regret” for the way things transpired in Washington, and is ready to sign a deal on Ukraine’s minerals, he wouldn’t rule out Kyiv and Washington reaching an agreement. He even suggested it could come together in time for Mr. Trump to announce a deal when he delivers a national address on Tuesday night.
“We’d certainly like to see that happen,” Waltz said.
Earlier, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it was “impossible to have an economic deal without a peace deal,” and he accused Zelenskyy of having “thrown off the sequencing” of the deals by trying “to relitigate in front of the world” in the Oval Office.
But some European leaders disagreed with that interpretation of events.
“My assessment is that it wasn’t a spontaneous reaction to interventions by Zelenskyy, but apparently an induced escalation in this meeting in the Oval Office,” Friedrich Merz, who is likely to be Germany’s next leader, said Monday. “We must now show that we are in a position to act independently in Europe.”