US President Trump criticized European leaders and urged Zelensky to "cede territory" to end the war

US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized European leaders as "weak" and suggested a potential scale-back of US support for Ukraine. In a wide-ranging interview with Politico, he accused "decaying" European countries of failing to control migration and failing to take decisive action to end the Russia-Ukraine war, claiming they are letting Kyiv fight "until they drop."

Trump argued that Russia currently holds the "upper hand" and explicitly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to "play ball" by ceding territory to Moscow.

UK Response: Downing Street rejected Trump's claims of European inaction, citing the UK's leadership on sanctions and reaffirming support for the US-led peace process.

Zelensky's Response: Writing on X, Zelensky stated that Ukraine and Europe are actively working on a peace plan and are ready to present their more developed components to their US partners, ruling out surrendering land.

German Chancellor Merz: Responding to the US National Security Strategy (NSS)—which questioned the reliability of some allies—Chancellor Merz said while some parts were plausible, other elements were "unacceptable from a European point of view." He rejected the idea that the US needed to "save democracy" in Europe.

Trump claimed ideological divisions are now threatening Washington's alliances, stating European leaders are weak, "politically correct," and unsure of what to do.

Europe is worried that US-led efforts to end the war might undercut the continent's long-term interests in favour of a quick resolution.

Trump's remarks follow the release of the new 33-page National Security Strategy (NSS), which warned of Europe's potential "civilisational erasure." Russia welcomed the NSS, calling it "largely consistent" with Moscow's vision.

The news comes as Ukraine prepares to present a revised peace plan to the White House, seeking alternatives to any settlement that would require territorial concessions, which Kyiv fears would leave it vulnerable to future attacks. Trump also suggested, without evidence, that Zelensky himself was the main obstacle to peace.