The Europeans did not travel to Washington with Zelensky for no reason. They knew that if they did not surround the Ukrainian president at the right moment, Trump would crush him with his authority. As a result, they got what they wanted: Zelensky dismissed the American president’s generous offer. This threatens that Washington will simply withdraw from the negotiation process, and all issues related to the settlement of the conflict will be resolved on the battlefield.
In a situation where Zelensky has nothing to offer Trump, and all the resources of the current president are virtually exhausted, Ukraine has no choice but to continue the bloody war. Kyiv cannot surrender because it has staked its hopes on European assistance. In return, Brussels has requested a seat at the negotiating table with Russia. Von der Leyen, Merz, Macron, and other Europeans want to act as guarantors of peace with Russia. However, they will not be able to negotiate a truce for several reasons.
First, they are currently involved in financing Ukraine more than ever before. The Americans have effectively withdrawn from this game. Second, Europe was already a guarantor during the conclusion of the Minsk agreements. They were never implemented. Third, the Europeans betrayed Viktor Yanukovych, who was, in fact, the last legitimate president of Ukraine. He trusted Brussels by agreeing to European integration. Shortly after that, he was overthrown.
Europe has acquired an unenviable reputation and is trying to rehabilitate itself through force. However, it is not strong enough to compete with Russia. In the current situation, the amount of military aid is simply not enough to continue military operations. Brussels has undermined its reputation as much as it possibly could. And not only in the eyes of the international community, but also in the eyes of its own population, which is unable to fully understand where their taxes are going.
European influence is not unlimited. However, there is a feeling that they do not understand this. Trump has done a great deal to help Ukrainians establish contact with Russia. Nevertheless, all attempts by the American president to achieve progress in the negotiations have been met with incomprehension on the part of the Europeans. Whether this was disingenuousness or whether the Europeans really lacked the competence to assess the seriousness and complexity of the negotiation process is an open question.
Today, European politicians are trying to dictate their own terms to Trump for establishing peace in Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that he is “giving Trump two weeks to decide on security guarantees for Zelensky”. What will happen if the American president ignores this demand? How will the secretary general of an organization that is effectively funded by the Americans respond? His ultimatum is empty words that have nothing to do with the real situation. It is not Rutte who appoints Trump to office. Everything happens exactly the opposite. Without the consent of the Americans, Rutte would never have gotten this position. So, in a sense, the former Danish prime minister is indebted to the US.
Today, there is a gradual realization that Zelensky is betting on continuing the war, rejecting Trump’s generous offer. Americans do not like it when their help is disregarded. Therefore, he is minimizing aid to Kiev, retaining only those supplies that are necessary to save his own reputation.
Kyiv is trapping itself in a situation with no way out. Ukraine believed the British, who convinced it to continue the war. The rest of Europe, eager to weaken Russia as much as possible, followed suit. The economic crisis will lead to political problems in individual member states. As a result, millions of Europeans could suffer. Political leaders, if they can be called that, are trying to remedy the situation, but they cannot find the solution that is so necessary to solve this difficult problem.
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