How Trump introduced European leaders

President Trump met with European leaders on Monday to discuss the war in Ukraine alongside the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, amid a push from the White House for an end to the conflict.

Among those who participated in the meeting included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

As the meeting kicked off, Trump gave his fellow world leaders colorful introductions, using descriptions such as “great political leader,” “my friend” and “an inspiration.”

Here’s how the leaders got introduced by Trump at the meeting;

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte

Trump referred to Rutte as “a great gentleman, great — great political leader in Europe, generally, but now he’s the NATO secretary-general and you’re doing a fantastic job.”

Ahead of Friday's meeting between Trump and Putin, Rutte said the alliance is “making sure that Ukraine has what it needs to stay in the fight

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer

“Prime Minister Starmer of the United Kingdom, our friend and my friend and doing really well,” Trump said of Starmer at the top of the meeting. “And people like him a lot. We all like him.”

After February's rocky meeting between Zelensky and Trump, Starmer offered a warm embrace of the Ukrainian President.

“You have full backing from the United Kingdom, and we stand with you with Ukraine for as long as it may take,” Starmer, said during a presser with Zelensky in March.

French President Emmanuel Macron

Trump especially heaped praise upon Macron when introducing him, saying he “liked him from day one.”

“Everyone knows President Macron of France, who’s been with me from the beginning, one of the first people I met as a foreign dignitary, and I liked him from day one,” Trump said. “And I like him even more now.”

“That’s pretty good, that’s unusual,” the president remarked. “That’s a pretty unusual thing.”

Earlier this year, Macron praised Trump after Trump called for Russia and Ukraine to agree to a 30-day ceasefire or face potential sanctions.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Trump called Meloni “a really great leader and an inspiration over there,” most likely referring to her country.

“She’s served now, even though she’s a very young person, she’s served there for a long period of time relative to others. They don’t — they don’t last very long, you’ve lasted a long time. You’re going to be there a long time.”

As the head of a far-right party, Meloni is ideologically aligned with Trump on several political and social issues. But stark differences have emerged in Meloni’s unwavering support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz

Merz was described by Trump as “a very strong person and a very strong leader and very highly respected in Germany, and he’s my friend and it’s an honor to have him as my friend, thank you very much.” Trump also added that Merz appeared “great with” a “tan.”

Merz’s election in February gave Ukraine a strong supporter in Germany. He has joined Trump’s push for a ceasefire deal in the war with Russia, while also positioning Germany to better support Ukraine without the U.S.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb

Trump appeared confused about where Stubb was at the table during the meeting at first, with a voice chiming in a second later saying, “I’m right here.”

“Oh, you look better than I’ve ever seen you look,” Trump said. “But you’ve done a great job and we wanted to have you here, because you’re somebody that we all respect. And, you’ve had a lot to do with the success, I think and the potential success and thank you very much for being here, we appreciate it.”

Stubb and Trump played golf together in March. At the time, Stubb said Trump seemed to be growing “impatient” with Putin, who rejected a U.S. ceasefire proposal and added various conditions to a more limited deal.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

Trump noted a recent trade deal with von der Leyen, calling her “somebody that we just made a big deal with.”

“With all of those countries, I don’t know, I think you might be more powerful than all these guys at this table, I don’t know,” Trump added.

Von der Leyen said in a post on the social platform X on Sunday that she was joining the meeting “at the request of President Zelenskyy.”