President Trump was barely acknowledged in a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and 13 Western leaders who visited Kyiv in person on Monday to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Still, he was everywhere. In the subtle rebukes thrown his way. In how European leaders talked about further aid to Ukraine. In how they emphasized the importance of Ukrainian sovereignty, even as Trump officials have been talking about dialing back U.S. support for Kyiv and troop numbers in Europe.
On the invasion’s somber anniversary, European leaders and other Western allies descended on Kyiv to demonstrate their resolute support and pledge more money and military assistance to Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, said strengthening Ukraine’s defenses and energy infrastructure was critically important, and that it was also essential to not back down now.
“The autocrats around the world are watching very carefully,” she said.
The show of solidarity in Ukraine on Monday comes at a head-spinning moment for Europe. For three years, the United States has been a major supporter of Ukraine’s resistance against Russia’s invasion, diplomatically, financially and militarily, pulling the allies together in the leadership role it has played since World War II.
But Mr. Trump is in the process of upending that, or at least threatening to do so.
He shocked European officials last week when he appeared to blame Ukraine’s leaders for Russia’s invasion. He called Mr. Zelensky a “dictator without elections.” And he has been drawing closer to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, initiating discussions about ending the war that so far have not involved Ukraine.
On Monday, Mr. Trump said that the fighting could be over “within weeks” and suggested that he could visit Moscow as soon as this spring. He reiterated his demand that Ukraine sign over billions of dollars in mineral rights. In remarks to reporters beside President Emmanuel Macron of France, Mr. Trump refused to call Mr. Putin a dictator, the label he used last week for Mr. Zelensky.
The United States also angered its European allies by voting against a resolution at the U.N. General Assembly that condemned Russian aggression and called for the withdrawal of invading Russian troops from Ukraine. An American resolution simply called for an end to the war.
Because of concerns that Mr. Trump might slash American aid for Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky has been working furiously to shore up European support. And European leaders have been scrambling to come up with a plan to help make up for any change in U.S. engagement.
As the visiting leaders gathered in Kyiv on Monday, European foreign ministers met in Brussels and debated how much aid to send Ukraine in their next support package. Those discussions could yield a package totaling more than 20 billion euros, according to two people familiar with the deliberations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters. Kaja Kallas, the E.U.’s top diplomat, said during a news conference on Monday afternoon that the details would be “decided and discussed” on March 6, at a special meeting of European leaders.
The ministers also approved a fresh package of sanctions aimed at Russian energy, trade, transport, infrastructure and financial services. That could displease the White House, as Mr. Trump pivots toward Russia seeking to bring a swift end to the conflict.
“I feel a different sense of urgency, especially after what we all experienced in Munich a couple of weeks ago,” Lars Lokke Rasmussen, foreign minister of Denmark, said Monday on the sidelines of the Brussels meeting, referring to comments by Vice President JD Vance that criticized Europe at a recent security conference. “This is not only about Ukraine. I mean, this is basically about the world order of today.”
The United States has spent about $119 billion on the war in Ukraine, with $67 billion of that going to military spending, according to one frequently used tracker. Europe has dedicated $65 billion to military aid — slightly less — though it has spent $21 billion more than the United States on humanitarian and financial aid.
If the United States were to pull back support from Europe and NATO in a big way, it would be costly and difficult to replace, both in military personnel and in sophisticated military equipment. Even if Europe ordered such hardware now, it would take up to a decade to receive it.
But Europe’s own capabilities were front of mind on Monday, because as much as European leaders are concerned about Ukraine, they are also worried about their own security, which is heavily intertwined.
Mr. Trump has declared that the outcome of the war matters much more to Europe than to America, which is separated from the outcome by what he called a “big, beautiful ocean.”
It is not clear yet whether America will slash military spending in Europe. But European leaders are increasingly worried that the United States could pull out thousands of troops, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently suggested. That could leave Europe — especially smaller members of the NATO alliance — vulnerable to an aggressive Russia.
Over the last several years, Europeans have been increasing their spending on defense. But they remain far away — in both spending and military capacity — from a level that would allow them to manage without the United States.
European leaders have emphasized their willingness to meet Mr. Trump’s demands that the continent take on more responsibility for its own security.
Friedrich Merz, who is expected to become Germany’s next chancellor, said after his victory in Sunday’s parliamentary elections that it would be an “absolute priority to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible.”
For now, though, European leaders are doing their best to keep the United States at the table, both in regard to military matters of joint importance and when it comes to Ukraine.
Mr. Macron visited Washington on Monday, saying that he will urge Mr. Trump not to “be weak” against Mr. Putin. Mr. Macron has floated the idea of putting European troops on the ground in Ukraine after a settlement to end the fighting — an idea that was initially dismissed by many NATO members and has since gained traction.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, who will also visit the White House later in the week, has said he would be willing to commit troops to a peacekeeping initiative — but that it would only work only if the United States acted as a “backstop.”
Mr. Trump has said that there will be no American troops on the ground in Ukraine, but a “backstop” could commit the United States to come to the aid of European peacekeepers if they were attacked by Russia. There is little indication that Mr. Trump would support that.
Mr. Putin, meanwhile, has made it clear that he will not accept the presence of European troops on the ground in Ukraine in any settlement.
The Trump administration’s recent talks with Russian officials about ending the war have raised concerns that Ukraine would be left out of negotiations for any settlement.
On Monday in Kyiv, the visiting European leaders — including two dozen who joined the meeting virtually online — echoed Mr. Zelensky’s oft-repeated talking points: No peace without Ukraine. No peace without a strong security guarantee for Ukraine.
They referred to Mr. Zelensky as “Volodymyr,” and praised him for his courage, with many uttering “Slava Ukraini,” or “glory to Ukraine,” the battle cry of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada called Mr. Zelensky a “duly elected democratic leader” — a pointed response to Mr. Trump’s recent insults.
And António Costa, the president of the European Council, said only Ukraine can decide when the conditions are right to start negotiations.
While some leaders offered vague assurances about security guarantees to prevent future aggression or generic promises about more aid, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark was more specific: Membership in NATO for Ukraine was the strongest, easiest and cheapest way forward, she said.
Mr. Zelensky has pushed repeatedly for NATO membership as the one security guarantee his country needs, but the United States and Germany have said that can only happen after the war ends.
Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania said in a video feed Monday that he felt that the meeting in Kyiv needed to acknowledge the fact that the world order had changed.
“I think that something important has happened, as you all know,” he said, in reference to recent remarks from Washington.
Officials in Brussels also expressed confusion and concern about the trans-Atlantic relationship.
Ms. Kallas, who is going to Washington to meet with administration officials this week, was asked by a reporter if Mr. Trump was operating in a Russian disinformation bubble, as Mr. Zelensky has suggested.
“It’s clear that the Russian narrative is very strongly represented,” she said, carefully choosing her words.
