The Business Times
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Europe seeks to stiffen Trump’s spine against Russia

The gathering in Washington was a concerted attempt to strengthen Zelensky as much as possible in any forthcoming talks with Kremlin

Summarise
    • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) met US President Donald Trump in Washington on Aug 18. European leaders accompanied Zelensky in a show of solidarity to prevent any repeat of February's awful White House meeting.
    • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) met US President Donald Trump in Washington on Aug 18. European leaders accompanied Zelensky in a show of solidarity to prevent any repeat of February's awful White House meeting. PHOTO: AFP

    Andrew Hammond

    Published Wed, Aug 20, 2025 · 07:00 AM

    “THIS is no time to go wobbly,” former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher reportedly said to then-US president George Bush, after Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

    Fast-forward some three and a half decades, and this message rings similar to the one that the current generation of European leaders sought to share with US President Donald Trump on Monday (Aug 18).

    The meeting at the White House represented an extraordinary counter-demonstration of Western diplomatic support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was joined by the region’s most powerful leaders.

    Donald TrumpEuropean UnionRussia-Ukraine warVolodymyr Zelensky

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