European leaders are rushing “diplomatically” to secure an EU seat at the Ukraine peace talks table after US President Donald Trump spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and announced the immediate start of negotiations. Trump said he had a “highly productive phone call” Wednesday and that "probably" will meet Putin in person in the near future. He then informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the meeting, but the doubt about Ukraine's participation in the negotiations "as an equal" did not go away.
“I think they need to make peace…” Trump said, prompting both sides to begin talks to end the nearly three-year war. In a sign of tension between the Trump administration and Europe, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said it was "regrettable" that Washington has done “concessions” to Russia before peace talks had even begun. For Pistorius, Europe “will have to coexist directly” with the consequences, therefore “it is obvious that we must take part in the negotiations”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also expressed concern that Trump could force Ukraine into a bad peace deal that would leave it facing a Russia strengthened by such a decision. “The next task is to ensure that there is no dictated peace”, he added.
Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said that European nations provided about 60 percent of Kiev's military support (last year) and must be involved, especially given the US demand that Europe take greater responsibility for Ukraine's long-term security. “It is very natural that we are involved in the discussions”, said Jonson.
The comments came on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels, a summit that many European analysts had hoped would be an opportunity to influence the United States' view of how to end the conflict. Today it becomes clear that the Trump administration is moving forward without EuropeNATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who chaired the Munich meeting, said that whatever agreement Russia and Ukraine reached, it was crucial that “let the peace agreement last, and let Putin understand that this is the end of the conflict and that Moscow will never again be able to try to occupy a piece of Ukraine”. Rutte insisted that Ukraine must be “closely involved” in peace talks.
It should be noted that in his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to end the war, but shared few details about how to do so. In a television interview over the weekend, he also said that, a “a certain point”, Ukraine could become Russian, raising concerns among NATO allies. Ukraine and its European allies have insisted that any deal should aim for Russia to withdraw from captured Ukrainian territory (which is practically impossible for Moscow).
In this regard, the new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is “an unrealistic goal”, adding that “pursuing this illusory goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering”. Hegseth also cooled Ukraine's desire to become a member of NATO and, however, denied that Washington had betrayed Kiev by starting negotiations on its future without its full involvement. “There is no betrayal. It is recognized that the entire world and the United States are interested in peace, or rather, a negotiated peace.”. The Pentagon chief defended the US approach, saying the world is lucky to have Trump, “the best negotiator on the planet”, adding that the war in Ukraine must, “to be a wake-up call” for NATO's European allies to spend (this has now become a sad refrain) “more in their defense budgets".
Hegseth also made it clear that the United States would not deploy troops on the ground. “Instead, any security guarantee must be supported by European and non-European troops”.
The Kremlin said it wanted not only negotiations on Ukraine with the United States, but also on European security and Moscow's “concerns,” which already in 2021 demanded that NATO return to its 1997 borders. “Certainly, all issues related to security on the European continent, especially those aspects that concern our country, the Russian Federation, should be discussed comprehensively, and we expect that to be the case.”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peshov himself, when asked whether European nations will have a seat at the peace table, said that it is It is premature to talk about the format of the negotiations.
Meanwhile, the People's Republic of China has welcomed Trump-Putin talks to end the war in UkraineA Beijing spokesperson said: “Russia and the United States are both influential powers, Beijing welcomes their efforts to strengthen communication and dialogue on a range of international issues”.
The People's Republic of China has consistently maintained that negotiations are the only way to resolve the crisis. Indeed, President Xi Jinping has always aimed for a political solution to the Ukrainian issue. but at the same time threatens daily to invade the Republic of China – Taiwan.
As for our country, Foreign Minister Tajani reiterates his position: at this stage it is absolutely necessary for Europe to work together, with the USA, to reach an agreement that is not a temporary truce and that brings peace to our continent. To do this, however, it will be necessary to return the EU to a leading role in the negotiations. France, Germany and Spain have already made it clear that there can be no agreement without the participation of Kiev and Europe.
In conclusion, Ukrainian President Zelensky, perhaps, hoped for something else and after the crucial day in Munich. The Ukrainian President had to take note that the future peace negotiations, for Ukraine, will be all uphill with Europe, at least in this first phase. cut off from the direct line established between the White House and the Kremlin.
Photo: Kremlin archive / NATO / X
