World leaders back Zelenskyy following Trump, Vance Oval Office spat

European leaders came out with sweeping support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following the explosive Oval Office meeting in which President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance gave harsh reprimands and accused him of being "disrespectful."

Several leaders took to social media to back Ukraine and to remind Washington that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the Russia-Ukraine conflict's "aggressor," not Zelenskyy. 

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U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Feb. 28, 2025.  (REUTERS/Brian Snyder TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

European Union

The EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, had some of the strongest words of rebuke for Trump and said, "We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the aggressor." 

"Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader," she added.  "It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge."

France

"There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a victim: Ukraine," said French President Emmanuel Macron, who just met with Trump this week in D.C. "We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago – and to keep doing so." 

"By ‘we,’ I mean the Americans, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese, and many others," he added.  

United Kingdom

Though UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer, who also met with Trump this week, has remained publicly silent following the geopolitical fallout, the leader of the U.K.’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, showed her support for Ukraine.

"Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace," she said in a post on X. "We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. 

"A divided West only benefits Russia," she continued. "Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees. We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine."

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 28, 2025 in Washington, DC.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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Norway

"What we saw from the White House today is serious and disheartening," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement according to Reuters. "Ukraine still needs the US's support, and Ukraine's security and future are also important to the US and to Europe. 

"That Trump accuses Zelenskyy of gambling with World War III is deeply unreasonable and a statement I distance myself from," he said. "Norway stands with Ukraine in their struggle for freedom." 

Poland

"Dear Zelenskyy, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone," said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on X.

Germany

Germany’s new conservative leader, incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has said he seeks "independence" from the U.S., said, "Dear Volodymyr Zelenskyy, we stand with Ukraine in good and in testing times. We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war."

Notably, nations that typically stand strong with Trump, like Turkey’s Recep Erdogan and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, did not release a public statement following the day’s events. 

Trump and Zelensky met today to negotiate a preliminary agreement on sharing Ukraine’s mineral resources that Trump says will allow America to recoup aid provided to Kyiv while supporting Ukraine’s economy.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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Russia

Though Russian officials did voice their support for how the day unfolded.

Former Russian President and current deputy chair of Russia's security council, Dmitry Medvedev, took to X to call Zelenskyy an "insolent pig" and claimed he "finally got a proper slap down in the Oval Office." 

"And Donald Trump is right: The Kyiv regime is ‘gambling with WWIII’," he  added. 

Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threw his weight behind Ukraine as well and said, "Russia illegally and unjustifiably invaded Ukraine. 

"For three years now, Ukrainians have fought with courage and resilience," he added, suggesting NATO allies may back Kyiv over Washington. "Their fight for democracy, freedom, and sovereignty is a fight that matters to us all. Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine and Ukrainians in achieving a just and lasting peace."