In brief
In a revealing interview with Politico, U.S. President Donald Trump has sharply criticized European leaders, characterizing them as 'weak' and the continent as 'decaying'. Trump suggested that the U.S. might reconsider its support for Ukraine, claiming European nations have failed to take decisive action in the ongoing war with Russia. His remarks follow a meeting of European leaders aimed at addressing the war in Ukraine, leading to a rebuke from UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
US President Donald Trump has criticised European leaders as weak and suggested the US could scale back support for Ukraine.In a wide-ranging [interview with Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/09/trump-dasha-burns-interview-europe-immigration-ukraine-00682016?utm_content=topic/politics&utm_source=flipboard), he said decaying European countries had failed to control migration or take decisive action to end Ukraine's war with Russia, accusing them of letting Kyiv fight until they drop.European leaders have made attempts to carve out a role in the US-led efforts to end the war, which they fear will undercut the long-term interests of the continent in favour of a quick resolution. In response, the UK's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said all she saw in Europe was strength, citing investment in defence as well as funding for Kyiv.She added two presidents were working for peace - referring to Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - and one president - President Putin - has so far simply sought to escalate the conflict with further drone and missile attacks.Trump continued to increase pressure on Zelensky to agree to a peace deal and urged him to play ball by ceding territory to Moscow. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Zelensky, writing on social media later on Tuesday, said Ukraine and Europe were working actively on all components of potential steps toward ending the war, adding that the Ukrainian and European elements of the plan were now more developed.He mentioned the plans would be submitted to the US on Wednesday.Trump's public criticism of Europe comes just a day after [European leaders met in London](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2k4z9nwz4yo) to discuss their continuing joint efforts to stop fighting in Ukraine.Asked whether Europe could help end the war, Trump said: They talk but they don't produce. And the war just keeps going on and on.US officials have held separate talks with Ukrainian and Russian officials in recent weeks in a bid to broker peace, but no agreement has been reached yet. Ukraine's president has pressed European and NATO leaders to help deter the US from backing a deal that Kyiv fears could leave it exposed to future attacks.On Sunday, Trump suggested without evidence that Zelensky was the main obstacle to peace, stating that Russia was fine with the US-backed peace proposal, which he claimed contained major concessions for Ukraine. Some allies share concerns that such a deal could leave Ukraine vulnerable to a future invasion.Trump claimed that Ukrainian negotiators loved the proposal and alleged Zelensky had yet to read it. He reiterated previous calls for Ukraine to hold elections, asserting it was using war as a reason not to do so.Zelensky, whose five-year presidential term is due to end in May 2024, indicated he was ready for elections and would seek proposals that could change the law. He stated elections could be held in the next 60 to 90 days if security could be assured with US and other allies’ help.In the interview, Trump argued that ideological divisions now threaten to fracture alliances with Europe, saying: It depends when asked if weak leaders could still be allies. He labeled many European nations as decaying and indicated that without changes to immigration policies, they may not remain viable countries.Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz reacted to Trump's comments, finding some of the strategy plausible, while rejecting the notion that the US needed to save democracy in Europe, asserting that Europeans could manage such issues independently.
