Press Review: European media reacts to White House spat

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left the White House without signing the highly anticipated minerals deal after President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy for being “disrespectful.”

The internationally televised spat drew widespread reactions, with European and küresel politicians taking to social media to express their support for the Ukrainian leader, and was plastered across the front pages of Europe’s newspapers today.

The United Kingdom

The Daily Telegraph’s headline reads “Make a deal or we’re out” as they reported on how peace talks between the two leaders had come to an abrupt halt following the heated exchange in the Oval Office on Friday.

US President Donald Trump had called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “disrespectful” as the Ukrainian leader called for further security guarantees in order to pursue a peace deal with Russia.

The paper reported on Trump’s order for Zelenskyy to leave the White House, telling him to “Come back when you’re ready for peace.”

“The extraordinary clash left the prospects of a peace deal hanging by a thread and raised major questions about the future of European security,” the paper wrote.

France

In an online opinion piece, Le Monde called the clash a “breaking point” in the relationship between Ukraine and the US.

“Bitter exchanges, accusations, threats – never before in the history of the US have differences been so bluntly and publicly exposed between two allies who are constantly drifting apart,” Le Monde wrote.

The publication noted how the spat had been a “remarkable success” for Putin’s war against Ukraine. “He achieved it without firing a single missile, without even having to utter a word.”

“Trump is increasingly clearly playing into the hands of the Kremlin,” they wrote, highlighting the reversal of alliances taking place.

The paper is referred to the outpouring of support Ukraine received from European leaders and foreign ministers after Zelenskyy left the White House following the meeting.

“The transatlantic rift runs deep, and the alignment of Trump’s rhetoric with Putin augurs a reversal of alliances. Europe now stands alone against Russia,” Le Monde wrote.

Germany

“We just saw the end of our relationship with Trump,” the cover of Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reads, its article reflecting on what lies ahead for Kyiv and Washington.

The article cited the interview with Fox News in which Zelenskyy said he believes Ukraine and the US should be on the same side.

“However, this assumption has been obsolete since Friday. US President Donald Trump threw Zelensky out of the White House and then headed off to Mar-a-Lago for the weekend,” the paper wrote.

FAZ called the clash a “turning point” for Ukraine. “There is a feeling in the country that the United States, long the most important ally in the fight against Russian aggression, has finally changed sides.”

Belgium

Flemish newspaper De Morgen offered a detailed recap on how the meeting in the White House erupted into a fiery clash, but stated that American media claimed the tension had started even before the two leaders sat down in the Oval Office.

“According to American media, a lot went wrong between Zelensky and Trump outside the eye of the cameras,” their headline reads.

Right before his arrival to the White House, Zelenskyy had received a new version of the mineral’s deal, which he refused to sign. Trump subsequently responded with a threat “Make a deal or we are out,” the publication reported.

Netherlands

Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant featured a remarkable image of the silhouettes of US President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

“Russia eagerly watched the ‘brilliant show’ between Zelenskyy and Trump,” the headline reads.

The article called the internationally televised spat a “dream scenario” for the Kremlin, listing several reactions from Russian political figures including former president Dmitri Medvedev, who called Zelenskyy an “insolent pig” on X, and Kirill Dmitriev, who called the incident “historic.”

Italy

“Trump, screams and breakups with Zelensky,” the cover of Italy’s Corriere Della Sera reported following the clash on live TV at the White House. “Ukrainian president humiliated. Moscow exults. Macron: Russia is the aggressor,” the paper also read.

Following a widespread outpouring of support for the Ukrainian leader, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a close Trump ally, was one of the few European leaders who had not done so.

Meloni urged European leaders not to let the incident create a division between Europe and Washington, and called for a US-EU summit to get diplomacy back on track.

Spain

“Trump humiliated Zelenskyy” publicly, Spain’s most widely read national newspaper El País wrote. The publication labeled the meeting at the White House as a “catastrophe.”

The newspaper highlighted the unprecedented nature of the “public” and “violent” dispute, describing it as a first in diplomatic history.

Portugal

Portugal’s daily national newspaper, Público, similarly referred to the scenes as humiliating.

“Tension hung in the Oval Office,” they wrote. “Zelenskyy leaves the White House humiliated and without an agreement, clashing with Trump.”

Greece

Greece’s biggest news website ProtoThema’s top story read: “The planet frozen by Trump’s attack against Zelenskyy – Quotes from their discussion and the day after this unprecedented spat.”

The news organisation also touches on the wave of EU support towards Ukraine, and lists three scenarios on what Kyiv’s next moves could be.

The first scenario touches on what ProtoThema calls a “window of opportunity” with China, and Kyiv potentially turning to Beijing as an ally.

The other two scenarios include Europe speeding up its defence autonomy, and Zelenskyy returning to negotiations with Trump, albeit from a disadvantaged position.