BUDAPEST: European leaders gathered in Budapest on Thursday in search of a joint response to the threats of a new Donald Trump presidency — though the seat of powerhouse Germany was left empty by a deepening political crisis. The leaders of the European Union were joined by others from the United Kingdom to Turkiye, as well as Nato chief Mark Rutte and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, for the meeting of the European Political Comm­unity — to be followed by a summit of the 27-nation bloc. “The future of Europe is in our hands,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said as she headed into the talks dominated by Trump’s return to the White House. “We’ve shown that Europe can take responsibility by standing together.” On the agenda: Europe’s security challenges, chief among them Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as conflict in the Middle East, migration, global trade and economic security — issues all thrown into sharp relief by the prospect of a disruptive second Trump presidency. “This is a decisive moment in history for us Europeans,” Macron told the gathering in opening remarks. “Do we want to read the history written by others — the wars launched by Vladimir Putin, the US election, China’s technological or trade choices,” Macron asked. “Or do we want to write our own history? I think we have the strength to write it.” Macron urges the continent to assert its strategic independence from US Macron urged the continent to assert its strategic independence from the United States — and defend its interests over those of geopolitical rivals. “We must not delegate forever our security to America,” he said. But Ukraine’s Zelensky, in addressing the gathering, made clear Kyiv was still counting on US engagement as well as a strong Europe to repel Russia’s invasion. “We do hope that America will become stronger. This is the kind of America that Europe needs. And a strong Europe is what America needs. This is the connection between allies that must be valued and cannot be lost,” Zelensky said. That message was reinforced by Nato’s Rutte, who made a pitch to convince Trump to keep backing Kyiv, arguing that North Korea’s involvement in the conflict — and the transfer of Russian weapons technology to Pyon­gyang — directly threatened the United States.