European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it had become clear that “the free world needs a new leader” after US President Donald Trump clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday.
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“Ukraine is Europe! We stand by Ukraine,” Kallas said in a social media post.
“We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back [against] the aggressor,” she added. “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.”
The shouting match between the US and Ukrainian presidents sent shock waves across the world, and cast doubts over efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump openly berated Zelensky for not being “thankful”, later accusing the Ukrainian leader of “not being ready for peace” and having “disrespected” the United States in the “cherished Oval Office”.
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European leaders threw their support behind Zelensky, with EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa assuring him that “You are never alone”.