AGENCIES

Ukraine’s European allies, set to gather in London today, rallied behind President Volodymyr Zelensky after Donald Trump threw him out of the White House and accused him of not being “ready” for peace with Russia.

The remarkable Oval Office exchange highlights a tricky balancing act facing Western capitals since Trump’s return to office in January: maintaining steadfast support for Zelensky and Kyiv against Russian aggression, while not alienating a famously transactional president who appears increasingly sympathetic to President Vladimir Putin, tolerates little criticism and is upturning decades of transatlantic security alliances.

Stunned by Friday’s altercation, which saw Zelensky depart the White House without signing an expected mineral deal, all European leaders rushed to his defence.

“You are not alone,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, vowed to step up support for Ukraine.

“Ukraine is Europe! We stand by Ukraine. We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the aggressor,” Kallas said on X. “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.”

EU leaders also issued a joint statement urging Zelensky to “be strong.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a key Trump ally in Europe, also called for a summit with the US and European nations to discuss the war in Ukraine, saying that division makes the West weaker.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, fresh off his own visit to the White

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