Europe slammed Trump on Ukraine. Albanese took a different course
“Unfortunately, recent developments and this different view of things from the United States now oblige us not only to face the truth but to move at a very high speed and implement decisions that we have been discussing for a long time,” he said.
Australia: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ducked questions on whether Trump’s language, in which he also falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia, was appropriate.
“I speak for Australia’s interests, and Australia stands with Ukraine in their struggle, which is a struggle not just for their own national sovereignty, but it is a struggle to stand up for the international rule of law,” Albanese told a press conference this week.
Albanese’s refusal to comment directly signals Labor’s unwillingness to risk raising Trump’s ire as it tries to negotiate exemptions from the president’s plans to put tariffs on imported goods, which could include Australian steel and aluminium.
Canada: The country’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is in the midst of tense trade negotiations with Trump, posted a video message of support for Ukraine. He said Canada would “always stand up” for the country and, in a separate call, said Ukraine must be involved in any peace negotiations.
Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X, “On Monday, I will be in Kyiv to reaffirm Spain’s support for Ukrainian democracy and President Zelenskyy #SlavaUkraini (#GlorytoUkraine).”
UK: Prime Minister Keir Starmer had a phone call with Zelensky on Thursday to stress the need for co-operation.
“The prime minister expressed his support for President Zelensky as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader and said that it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during wartime as the UK did during World War II,” a Downing Street spokesperson told The Independent.
France: President Emmanuel Macron described Zelensky as “a president elected in a free system”.
“This is not the case for Vladimir Putin, who has been killing his opponents and manipulating his elections for a long time,” he told a press conference.
Sweden: Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also asserted Zelensky was democratically elected.
“I think nobody wants elections more than Ukraine because elections would mean that there is peace in Ukraine and that they can run their country again,” he said.
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Denmark: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen – who had a fiery phone call with Trump over his desire to take over Denmark’s territory of Greenland – said Zelensky was a “democratically elected and otherwise unusually capable political leader in Europe”.
Czech Republic: President Petr Pavel posted on X that the idea of Ukraine holding elections while fighting a war was unrealistic. “How to organise elections when a fifth of the territory is occupied by the invaders and the whole country is under daily shelling?
