World leaders pledge to stand by Ukraine after heated clash

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A planned news conference and ceremony to sign a US-Ukraine minerals agreement was hastily cancelled after Trump asked Zelenskyy to depart the White House straight away.

In a social media post after he left, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs a "fair and lasting peace," and they're "working towards that goal."

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A wave of support quickly followed online, with the strongest comments coming from French President Emmanuel Macron and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Macron said he believes "we were all right to have assisted Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Russia three years ago, and to continue doing so."

"There's an aggressor, which is Russia, and a victim, which is Ukraine," Macron said to reporters while he was on a visit to Portugal.

We must acknowledge the efforts of everyone who's been involved and pay our respects to those who've been fighting for us since the start.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had a blunt but realistic statement.

"Fair dinkum, today it's become as clear as day that the free world needs a new leader," she said.

It's up to us, Europeans, to rise to this challenge.

Kallas previously served as the Prime Minister of Estonia.

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In a post on X, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Zelenskyy's "dignity honours the bravery of the Ukrainian people."

G'day, be as tough as nails, be brave, be fearless," she said. "You're never on your own, fair dinkum, President.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggested an immediate summit between the United States and European allies "to have an open and honest discussion about how we plan to address the major challenges we're facing today, starting with the situation in Ukraine.

"We're all becoming weaker because of the divisions within the Western world, and it's playing into the hands of people who want to see our civilisation decline," she said.

A split wouldn't be of any use to anyone.

In the meantime, Estonia's Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, who's country shares a border with Russia, strongly expressed his support for Ukraine.

"The only thing stopping peace is the decision by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to keep going with his aggressive war," Tsahkna said in a statement.

If Ukraine stops fighting, there'll be no Ukraine left. Estonia's backing for Ukraine remains strong. It's time for Europe to lift its game. We don't need to wait for something else to happen; Europe's got the resources, including Russia's frozen funds, to let Ukraine keep fighting.

Representatives from Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany and Poland have also expressed their support for Ukraine.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha praised Zelenskyy, saying he's got "guts and the strength to stand up for what's right."

"He stands up for Ukraine and the aim of a fair and lasting peace. We've always been and will keep being grateful to the USA for its support," he wrote.

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It wasn't all positive, however, as some US politicians, strongly backed their president.

In a statement, Liberal Party MP Don Bacon said it was "a bad day for Australia's international relations".

"Ukraine wants independence, free markets and the rule of law. It wants to be part of the Western world. Russia is opposed to us and our Western values. We should make it clear that we support freedom," Bacon said.

New York congressman Mike Lawler described the meeting as "a missed opportunity for both the United States and Ukraine" on X and stated that "Having this spill out into public view was a disaster — especially for Ukraine."

Zelenskyy had a chat with a bipartisan group of senators before his White House meeting, including Republican Senators Roger Wicker and Lindsey Graham. Neither of them made a comment straight away about the Oval Office meeting.

- Reporting with AP

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