Speaking to "Välisilm," Vseviov said that Europe's responsibility lies with strengthening its alliance with the U.S.

This can be achieved by demonstrating that Europe is capable of standing up for itself, he went on.

"Paradoxically, the steps we must take to ensure that the U.S. remains on our side here in Europe are the same steps needed in case America decides to leave," he went on.

"We must spend more on defense and ensure that Europe can stand up for itself. At the London summit, it was evident that this understanding is widely shared across Europe," Vseviov noted.

Vseviov acknowledged that while the EU may not always achieve consensus, decisions can still be made in other ways, the secretary general added.

"It is clear that we may not have consensus within the EU. Some member states do not cooperate with us while others actively work against us. As a result, extraordinary times require extraordinary decisions. It appears that the actions are increasingly shifting towards coalitions of the willing, like the one formed in London."

"This includes countries that are not part of the EU but share our principles, such as the British or Norwegians," the secretary general explained.

In any case, there seems to be a prevailing understanding in Europe that this represents a historic moment, in which existential European interests are at stake.

Although disagreements persist, he said, there is consensus on the key messages.

"We were all on the same page — both in our video meeting with Starmer before the London summit and later on hearing what took place behind closed doors. First, we must immediately show that we can plug any gap that may arise from the U.S. in terms of military aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. Decisions must be made immediately, as quickly as possible, and on as large a scale as possible," said Vseviov, adding that these are realistic plans.

European leaders are working hard to ensure that the U.S. stays aligned with Europe in its practical policy directions, Vseviov added, hence both French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visiting the White House last week.

This was followed a day later by Volodymyr Zelenskyy's official visit to the White House, which, while it was theoretically supposed to focus on signing a minerals deal between the two countries, culminated in President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance attempting to give the Ukrainian president a public dressing down.

The U.K. in particular has tried to smooth things over since then, Vseviov added.

"The British have spoken with the Americans multiple times on several levels since the catastrophe on Friday," he said.

"Efforts are being made to ensure that, at least in practical policy terms, the Americans remain with us. If we look at what is happening today — and I don't want to jinx things, because there could be new developments tomorrow — then in terms of sanctions and military aid, the course set a week or two ago is still holding. I think it is worth fighting to maintain that," Vseviov concluded.

Although not the first time it had ever been used, the term "coalition of the willing" was applied by then U.S. President George W. Bush to the U.S.-led multinational force which invaded Iraq in 2003.

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