Zelenskyy unites Continent of Europe

 

Zelenskyy unites Continent of Europe

Deepak Razdan

Monday, 19 May, 2025

Forgotten for many years, the Continent of Europe is re-emerging on the world stage. The principal force behind this historic development is none of Europe’s major economic or military powers.

Europe is reasserting its identity because of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who is defending his country against Russia for the last three years.

The European Continent turned itself into the European Political Community just as the Russia-Ukraine war started. The Community was meant to shape a European answer to the war and make sure that there is stability on the European continent.

The Community held its sixth meeting in Albanian Capital Tirana on 16th May. Heads of government and State from 27 European Union (EU) member-nations and 20 non-EU countries including UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mr Zelenskyy attended it.

On 19th May, there was another closing of ranks among the Continental partners. First time after Brexit nine years ago, a UK-EU summit was held at Lancaster House in London, hosted by Mr Starmer.

It was described as a Brexit ‘reset’ summit, but its main objective was a defence and security pact among the UK-Europe group of nations, concerned as they were about their security due to the devastating Ukraine war in their neighbourhood.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attended the summit and said “In Europe, we stick together.”  According to commentators, the Ukraine war has brought closer Britain and Brussels, the EU headquarters.

Regretting how the Ukraine war had dismayed Europe, Commission President von der Leyen told the European Political Community in Tirana that with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the end of history was proclaimed, and “we assumed that economic and political freedom would eventually converge and that this would unite people.”

“Now, as we are here today, history is back, and so are geopolitics. What we had perceived as a world order, is becoming a world disorder, triggered not least by Putin's imperialist ambitions and other geopolitical struggles. In recent years, the need for a wake-up call for Europe has often been articulated,” she said.

The EU, the UK and Canada are prominent economies of the New World trying to secure a safe future for themselves, post the 2nd April Liberation Day import tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump.  

The UK has entered into a tariff arrangement with the US, while Canada, the EU group and most other nations are waiting for their trade deals. The EU has an additional worry that Mr Trump asked its member-nations not to just depend on American help in case they faced a security threat.

The EU decided to stand up united to face any possible threat from Russia and raise a common security force inspired by Mr Zelenskyy’s handling of the war and the way he continues to lead it.

Ukraine’s refusal to surrender under Mr Zelenskyy’s leadership convinced the European nations that they got enough time to organize themselves into a fighting-fit force.

The US President had planned to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Ukraine war but instead had a two-hour talk with him on the phone on Monday.

Mr Putin was in Russian city Sochi during Mr Trump’s call and reported as pressing that root causes of the conflict should be addressed.

In a post on his X site Truth Social, Mr Trump said the call went very well, adding that "Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire and, more importantly bring end to the war." The Vatican had agreed to host the negotiations, he said.

The US President said the two sides, Ukraine and Russia, will have to decide conditions to end the war. Russia wants to do trade with the US once the bloodbath stops, he wrote.   

Keen to secure a ceasefire and a lasting peace, the Ukrainian President has been touring every part of the world where his voice can be heard and where he can get a promise of intervention.

Mr Zelenskyy has been seeking world support, and is believed to have visited 18 countries in two dozen trips since the beginning of the year. He seems still ready to go anywhere to meet anyone who can secure a peace deal for him. He has suggested an international meet of major world leaders.

The Ukrainian leader was in Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey a few days ago, just as he heard Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready for “direct talks” with him.

Instead of calling off all talks, as he found Mr Putin was not coming for the direct talks, he let his senior officials work out a prisoner of war exchange schedule with Russian officials.

Mr Zelenskyy visited the Vatican twice, first to be present for the funeral ceremony of Pope Francis and then for his successor Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass on last Sunday.

On both occasions, he met leaders from important countries to explain the need to end the war. On the funeral day, he had an exclusive meeting with the US President in an open hall.

On the new Pope’s inauguration Mass day, Mr Zelenskyy had meetings with several leaders including US Vice President J D Vance and got a big hug from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

It was obvious Mr Zelenskyy had good handshakes on the occasion. The Ukraine President had an exclusive audience with the Pope also.