European leaders urge Zelensky to moderate criticism of Trump

European Union leaders are preparing to tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reduce his public criticism of US President Donald Trump, according to the Daily Mail. The warnings come because European officials fear the public spats are damaging the relationship between Washington and Kyiv. [1]

Relations between the two leaders deteriorated after the United States eased sanctions on Russian diesel exports as part of a deal with Moscow, the Daily Mail and France 24 reported. The BBC and France 24 noted that President Trump criticized recent Ukrainian refinery strikes as a disgrace and stated that President Zelensky is more difficult to work with than Russian President Vladimir Putin. [1][3][5][6]

President Zelensky requested European allies to provide an additional 70 billion euros, or nearly 80 billion dollars, to help fund the war against Russia next year, France 24 reported. According to BBC News, European leaders rallied around the Ukrainian leader during an EU summit as President Zelensky praised European partners as real leaders while asserting that Ukraine has a right to defend itself. [3][5][6]

Tensions between the two administrations previously escalated during a contentious bilateral meeting inside the Oval Office in Washington on February 28, 2025. During that meeting, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance repeatedly criticized President Zelensky, causing the discussions to end abruptly without a resolution. [11]