LONDON: Volodymyr Zelensky insisted on Saturday that Donald Trump鈥檚 support was still 鈥渃rucial鈥� for Ukraine despite an undiplomatic row with the US president that left Kyiv鈥檚 European allies scrambling for new responses to Russia鈥檚 invasion.
The Ukrainian president touched down in London for a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday afternoon, ahead of emergency talks on Sunday with Kyiv鈥檚 European backers, blindsided by the stunning White House blow-up in which Trump berated Zelensky for not being 鈥渞eady鈥� for peace with Russia.
Friday鈥檚 argument sent alarm bells ringing across Europe, with Germany branding it the start of a 鈥渘ew age of infamy,鈥� while Russia reacted gleefully to Trump鈥檚 apparent takedown of Zelensky, Ukraine鈥檚 wartime leader throughout Moscow鈥檚 more than three-year-long invasion.
Following the clash, Zelensky departed the White House without signing an expected deal on Kyiv鈥檚 rare minerals, but the Ukrainian leader insisted he was still 鈥渞eady鈥� to sign the agreement as 鈥渢he first step toward security guarantees.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 crucial for us to have President Trump鈥檚 support. He wants to end the war, but no one wants peace more than we do,鈥� Zelensky said in a post on social media platform X.
European leaders rallied to Zelensky鈥檚 defense, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying Ukraine was 鈥渘ot alone鈥� and Starmer vowing 鈥渦nwavering support鈥� for Kyiv.
Others pressed for an olive branch. In an interview with the BBC, NATO chief Mark Rutte said that he talked to Zelensky and told him he had to 鈥渇ind a way鈥� to restore his relationship with Trump after the row.
Trump stunned many in Europe when he reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek a deal on Ukraine, which Moscow invaded three years ago.
The Republican鈥檚 sudden shift on Ukraine, sidelining Kyiv and Europe while pursuing rapprochement with Putin, has rattled the transatlantic NATO alliance.
Those concerns were only exacerbated Friday by the scene that played out in the White House, where the years-long US policy of massive support for Ukraine collapsed in a shouting match.
During the televised clash, Trump and Vice President JD Vance shouted at Zelensky, accusing him of not being 鈥渢hankful鈥� and refusing to accept their proposed truce terms.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e either going to make a deal or we鈥檙e out, and if we鈥檙e out, you鈥檒l fight it out and I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 going to be pretty,鈥� Trump said.
Though he refused to apologize, the day after Zelensky indicated that he was still open to signing the deal on Ukraine鈥檚 mineral wealth coveted by Trump, insisting that 鈥渄espite the tough dialogue鈥� Ukraine and the United States 鈥渞emain strategic partners.鈥�
鈥淏ut we need to be honest and direct with each other to truly understand our shared goals,鈥� the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.
Russia was meanwhile delighted.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev called Zelensky an 鈥渋nsolent pig鈥� who had received 鈥渁 proper slap down.鈥�
Zelensky鈥檚 Washington trip was a 鈥渃omplete failure,鈥� Moscow said.
Passers-by on the streets of Moscow welcomed Trump鈥檚 war of words with his Ukrainian counterpart.
鈥淔rankly speaking, it was very pleasing that (Zelensky) got such a rebuke in the White House,鈥� nursery worker Galina Tolstykh told AFP.
Germany鈥檚 Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accused Trump of 鈥渟witching... the roles of victim and aggressor鈥� in the conflict, branding the footage of the argument 鈥渦nspeakable.鈥�
鈥淵esterday evening underlined that a new age of infamy has begun,鈥� she said.
Trump has alarmed Kyiv and European allies with his abrupt U-turn in US policy, casting himself as a mediator between Putin and Zelensky and refusing to condemn the Russian invasion.
He said in the Oval Office that he had 鈥渟poken on numerous occasions鈥� to Putin 鈥� more than has been publicly reported.
With fears over whether the United States will continue to support NATO mounting, Sunday鈥檚 gathering in the UK will also address the need for Europe to increase defense cooperation.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he is ready to 鈥渙pen the discussion鈥� on a possible future European nuclear deterrent.
Germany鈥檚 likely next leader, Friedrich Merz, also stressed the need for the continent to move quickly to 鈥渁chieve independence鈥� from the United States on defense matters.
But Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban 鈥� the closest ally of Trump and the Kremlin in the European Union 鈥� vowed to oppose a bloc-wide agreement on the conflict at the upcoming gathering.
鈥淚 am convinced that the European Union 鈥� following the example of the United States 鈥� should enter into direct discussions with Russia on a ceasefire and a sustainable peace in Ukraine,鈥� Orban wrote in a letter.
Meanwhile, Russia鈥檚 assault on Ukraine continued.
Russian infantry were storming the Ukrainian border from the Russian region of Kursk, near areas that were seized last summer by Ukrainian forces, Kyiv said Friday.
And Moscow said Saturday it had seized two more villages in the south of the eastern Donetsk region.