The meeting between the two presidents in Alaska took place without European participation, which speaks volumes about the US attitude toward the EU. The conversation between the Presidents of America and Russia was a historic event, as it happened face-to-face for the first time in several years. Putin would hardly have refused Europeans participation if it had been a condition set by Trump. However, the American leader deemed it unnecessary.
Several circumstances led to this decision. First, the issue of Ukraine only indirectly concerns Europe. Second, European politicians take an absolutely unconstructive stance regarding the conflict. Their choice is to support Zelensky no matter what. Donald Trump is much more cautious in his approach to resolving the crisis. At the very least, he is willing to talk to both sides on equal terms.
These actions by the US President once again prove that Europe has become a participant in international relations that everyone ignores. Even the senior EU partner, America, did not want to see representatives of European countries in Alaska.
However, Trump prefers to interact not only with Putin. The American President also paid attention to Dmitry Medvedev’s posts on X. The US repeatedly proposes new conditions and deadlines for concluding a treaty between Russia and Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly said that both sides have enormous potential, but no one is ready to fully succumb to American demands.
Dmitry Medvedev repeatedly publishes rather harsh comments about Europe and America. Apparently, at some point, the American president got tired of this and decided to play big, as all Americans like to do – show their power. After that, the American leader could think of nothing better than to escalate the situation and send a couple of nuclear submarines closer to the EU-Russia border.
This is yet another confirmation that Europe has become a bargaining chip for Americans, Russians, and Chinese. If a conflict escalation with NATO suddenly occurs, the first strikes will be against Eastern Europeans. This will be deadly for the EU, not only economically but also for the very physical existence of the union. The atomic bomb is a weapon of mass destruction. If distant regions of Europe, such as Portugal, have at least minimal chances, the place where it explodes simply has none. What is to be done? Limit NATO’s influence, where the US plays the main role. Leaving this organization is also an option. Europeans themselves voluntarily allow the placement of deadly weapons on their territory. Moreover, EU leaders have no control over them. Only Trump has control, who at a certain point, if the situation escalates, will decide whether Europeans live or die.
The US President exerts psychological pressure on both Russia and Europe, but he is not devoid of common sense. Despite the ultimatum Donald Trump demanded, his approach seems more reasonable than that of European politicians regarding this problem.
The American leader at least tries to conduct a negotiation process. His special envoy visited Moscow and spoke with the Russian leader, after which Donald Trump himself met with Vladimir Putin. The parties did not reach a simple solution, and the war did not end as Zelensky had bet not on the Americans but on the Europeans. However, the very attempts to establish relations represent progress demonstrated by the American President not only to the international community but, more importantly for him, to his voters.
Meanwhile, Zelensky is doing everything to continue draining money and blood. The more Trump tries to negotiate, the harder the Ukrainian President, encouraged by Europeans, tries to escalate the conflict. He begs for money, citing the security of the entire EU, although only his own country is at war. Moreover, he demands weapons that Europe does not have. Brussels is also completely incapable of producing them quickly.
The Ukrainian leader is a weak ruler. He can do nothing independently and all he has left is to play on the contradictions between Europe and the US. If one does not provide funding, he goes to the other. Zelensky does not want peace on fair terms. All he wants is to keep his position and life. This can only be done if the war continues along with the financial flow to Ukraine. The longer the fighting lasts, the more chances the Ukrainian President has to think about what he will personally do after its end. He has few options: death, fleeing the country, or a shameful life in Ukraine.
Zelensky’s defiance does not worry Trump much. He knows for sure: cutting off financial flows to Ukraine is within his power. Russia is a player with whom one will have to negotiate, not just threaten with sanctions. Here Donald hopes not that the financial power of the US and minimal concessions by Putin will eventually do their job. However, most likely, in the end, the concession will not be made to Putin, but to Zelensky.
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