As the U.S. aligns with Russia, senior European officials wring their hands in disbelief.
Donald Trump’s verbal assault on Ukraine is a “complete failure” for the transatlantic alliance, according to a senior German lawmaker.
“This is pure Kremlin — and Putin — speech,” said Michael Roth, chairman of the foreign relations committee in the German parliament, after the U.S. president called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and sided with Russia’s narrative about why the war began.
In a morning show Thursday on Germany’s ZDF, Roth said he was surprised at “hearing this propaganda from the White House.”
Roth, a member of the center-left Social Democrats, who are running behind the conservative Christian Democrats in polls ahead of Sunday’s national election, also described the new U.S. government’s tone as a “worst-case scenario.”
“The transatlantic relations are over,” Roth added, as he emphasized that Trump’s increasing alignment with Putin left Europe “home alone” and unable to look for the “best options” anymore — only the least worst.
Trump’s harsh words for Zelenskyy sparked waves of protest from European politicians.
Key EU leaders rushed to reassure the Ukrainian president of their continued support, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying: “Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the elected head of state of Ukraine. The inability to hold regular elections in the midst of war is in line with the Ukrainian constitution and electoral laws. No one should claim otherwise.”
