As Trump’s Ukraine’s plans fail, London shows a way to follow

The alliance between Europe and the US has reached a new low level last Friday in the Oval Office. The week passed without problems until then, the French President Emmanuel Macron and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer making a flattery visits to the futile president Donald Trump. But then, after an angry dispute, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was thrown from the White House. The diplomatic disaster has discussed an indispensable partnership of Europe with the US at a time when the US President makes quite offensive progress against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was accused by the international criminal court of supporting the responsibility for war crimes.

However, the open dispute with Zelenskyy is also a loss for Trump. After promising a peace solution in Ukraine “in 24 hours” during his election campaign, he has now failed. Due to Zelenskyy’s loss of composition in the Oval Office, this was revealed earlier and more suddenly than many expected, but it was in no case surprising.

Trump’s negotiation strategy has been puzzled from the beginning. In mid -February, his recently named defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, terrified European leaders with a number of statements about Ukraine. The occupied territories were lost, he said. There would be no NATO accession for Ukraine, no American support and no word for Europe in peace negotiations, Hegseth continued. President Trump doubled after his surprising phone call with Putin. He praised the Kremlin leader, said he wants Russia to return to the G7 group of major industrialized nations and held the perspective of economic cooperation between Russia and the United States.

This transformation into U in American foreign policy culminated in Trump’s absurd statement that Ukraine began the war and that Zelenskyy, not Putin, was the dictator. Trump offered a little more concessions than he could have ever dreamed of, just before the negotiations began.

Trump’s negotiation strategy

Anyone who is trying to understand this will quickly see the fundamental problem with Trump’s peace ambitions: Putin does not need or wants quick peace. For one thing, the Russian army constantly pushes the first line before, as its huge reserves of men and battlefield resources allow it to absorb more terrible daily losses than Ukraine.

For another, Putin has repeatedly made the true purpose of his war. That is, the conflict does not refer only to the conquest of the territory, but rather aims to destroy and subjugate the Sovereign, democratic state. This objective will not be achieved in a cessation of the intermediate fire fire. If such an agreement would do without security guarantees, a renewed attack of Russia would only be a matter of time – as Zelenskyy tried to explain to the American vice -president JD Vance during the dispute in the Oval Office.

How can Trump bring Putin to the table of negotiations quickly? He must attract the Russian president with concessions. And that’s exactly what Trump did. Putin should accept an agreement at the end of such a process, a single result is to be conceived: Peace dictated that Europe is afraid. This week, Putin again offered his thoughts on what to include such peace: the permanent loss of Russia in eastern Ukraine, the renunciation of NATO proposed by Kiev, without western peace and no strong Ukrainian army. Ukraine would be at the mercy of Russia.

Trump and Vance don’t seem to care. However, no American president can be indifferent to the interests of his own country. What advantages could the Kiev surrender bring to the US?

Natural resources agreement That the White House sought to impose Ukrainians indicates the economic reasons and may, in the best case, justify a certain American interest in protecting Ukraine. But it is not clear that this proposed agreement would bring guaranteed profits. Moreover, the presence of American goods in Ukraine and Russia did not prevent Putin from invading in 2022. Putin tries to promise Trump’s economic advantages from a new partnership with Russia. But the continuous presence of the Kremlin’s criminal regime, which has recently expropriated Western investors, means that American companies operating in Russia would face incalculable risks.

Then there is geopolitics theory That Trump could try to bind Russia to the United States more closely, sharing and thus the Alliance with China. However, this theory is not realistic. Why should it be a little relieved of US democratic volatile when the Chinese Communist Party alliance is so predictable, stable and advantageous? In the world of favorite transaction policy both Trump and Putin, Beijing is a much more reliable partner for Kremlin than Washington.

Using Trump’s narcissism as an advantage

But Trump also has personal interests in the game. If he, the self -declared master of the agreement, fails in peace negotiations, there is a serious risk of losing the face. There are two ways to avoid this disgrace. First of all, he could hope to make enough pressure on Ukraine that, in the end, the only option of Kiev would be to submit a peace agreement dictated by Russia.

Secondly, Trump could change the strategy and pressure on Russia to accept a solution supported by Ukraine and its European allies. Trump’s official Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, initially supported this strategy. For example, he proposed to bring into play the threat of extended weapons deliveries in Ukraine as a means of exercising pressure on Russia. After the inauguration, Trump himself spoke briefly about possible new economic sanctions against Russia. But then Kellogg was pushed on the edge at the American negotiation delegation. And Trump began to spread Russian propaganda and the treatment of Ukraine as an enemy.

For now, Trump is clear on the first way, but Ukraine is still upset. Europe has to do the same. A little triumph in Ukraine would put Europe’s security in a serious danger. Especially at a time when US protection partnership is ceased by an unpredictable president, Europe needs democratic Ukraine tested as a partner and a Bulwark against Putin’s imperialism.

A prime minister shines unexpectedly

Therefore, the continent must try to drive him on the second way. This will be extremely difficult, but the surprising U-Turns can never be excluded with Trump, and the threat of losing the face because of the complete failure of his promise to ensure peace could give a little opportunity. Fortunately here is the place where the British prime minister Keir Starmer steps on the world scene. The politician is often mocked by the British media as an unpleasant and boring administrator of the majority of work in the Parliament and is accused of lacking inspiration or charisma. But Starmer, of all people, seems to appear as a European leader in a difficult time, doing many things instinctively.

Starmer reacted quickly and constructively to Trump’s tune with Putin. He said that the UK will be willing to conduct peacekeeping troops in Ukraine and invited European countries to associate with its country in this effort. Despite the severe budgetary difficulties of his government, he announced a Increasing expenses with national defense at 2.5% of the gross domestic product. He rightly pointed out that Europe still needs US support and traveled to Washington last week to plead for this. He failed to fight security guarantees for Ukraine from Trump. But, with his understanding appearance in the Oval Office, he positioned himself as a possible mediator.

After the Scandal in the White House, Starmer and King Charles III gave Zelenskyy an extremely hot reception in London. In this sense, they have shown the determination of Europe not to let Ukraine fall. At the same time, Starmer coordinated with France and invited 18 European heads of government and state to form a “coalition of the disposed” to support Ukraine. In this way, the operation outside the EU institutions to be effective is a correct approach, as the clear rejection of the European fantasies of an insulting return from the United States.

Ukraine must be strengthened by its European partners. This is a critical signal for Trump that the peace he prefers Russian is not an easily achievable option.

Starmer offers as a bridge builder between Europe and Trump. He is supported by Charles, who gives Trump the delightful charm of a visit to Windsor Castle. At the same time, Starmer is courting and urges his European partners to take quick measures behind offering words, thus creating a credible threat to Trump and Russia’s plans. This double charm offensive has no success. But for Europe, they go to the best way out of a fairly desperate situation.

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