US President Donald Trump sharply criticized European countries and leaders, calling them weak and ineffective in a June 2024 interview with Politico. He accused Europe of failing to manage migration and decisively act to end the Ukraine war, claiming that Kyiv was left to fight until exhaustion. Trump suggested that Russia had the upper hand and urged Ukraine's President Zelensky to make territorial concessions to Moscow, stating Zelensky was the primary obstacle to peace and had not fully engaged with US peace proposals—although Ukrainian officials deny this. European leaders recently convened in London to advance their joint peace efforts, and Ukraine is preparing a revised peace plan rejecting territorial concessions. The UK government and Zelensky pushed back on Trump's criticism, emphasizing their active role in sanctions and peace preparation. Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz also distanced Europe from the US National Security Strategy's critical portrayal of Europe, rejecting notions of needing US intervention to preserve democracy. Trump's statements reflect ongoing tensions within Western alliances over how to manage the war in Ukraine and its wider geopolitical implications.