Experts claim that this is the end of an era. By all appearances, the US, at least under the administration of President Donald Trump, has turned its again on Ukraine and perhaps the rest of Europe.
On Wednesday, Trump criticized his Russian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator” for postponing primaries and blaming his land for Russia’s aggression by calling with Russian President Vladimir Putin about problems to end the war in Ukraine and alienating colleagues at the current Munich Security Conference.
Kyiv’s friends were quick to point out that the continuous Russian war made global voting, set for April 2024, impossible, while Zelenskyy himself retorted that Trump had absorbed Russian propaganda.
However, the conflict involves more than just terrible words. Three decades into the full-scale war, Trump is pushing Zelenskyy to end the war on words that Kyiv had much rejected as unethical. Although much about Trump’s ties to Putin are known, it seems that Ukraine would be expected to recognize Russian-occupied place and stay outside the Nato defense empire.
In exchange for Washington’s ongoing military and financial aid, the US senator also demanded that Ukraine provide billions of dollars worth of crucial organic materials.
One morning after US and Russian officials met in Riyadh to discuss ending the war without Ukraine and Western partners, US minister for Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv on Thursday.
Union forced to consider worst-case situation
The US’s reduction of military protection, which has for decades been essential to the security of the European continent, appears to be giving the European Union ( EU) its worst nightmare.
” The entire area of the West may be capitulated if Ukraine were to be forced to do so.” with all the repercussions of course. And don’t let anyone believe to be unaware of this, said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on X.
Western officials are pondering their actions if an emboldened Putin attacked another German state after winning in Ukraine, particularly a Nato member state, because they have been cut out of any negotiations that did, directly or indirectly, change their security.
In the event of an assault, the members of the military alliance are expected to stand up for one another, leading to a situation in which Europe may become embroiled in a conflict with Russia and NATO allies.
” Exactly what he promised,” he said.
Authorities in Europe have long expressed concern that Trump’s second term in office would have a negative impact on European security.
Trump may become erratic and turbulent with his agenda-planning, but at the corporate level, according to European Council member Nick Witney, who wrote on Thursday.
” His approach to the conflict in Ukraine, as so cruelly elaborated in recent days, is fully consistent with his past actions and declarations”, the professional added.
The Democrat Strategy Institute’s Benjamin Tallis told DW on Thursday that the writing had already been written on the roof when it comes to US withdrawal. He said,” We’ve been witnessing the end of the old world order for quite a long time.
He continued,” Maybe this is the time when Europe suddenly gets its act collectively because it’s obvious there isn’t a lot going on strategically in the US,” referring to what he termed Trump’s subsequent outbursts.
” Despite the endless talk of wake-up calls, we haven’t seen most of our]European ] leaders being serious about doing something about it”, he said. According to Tallis,” the flames seems to have really been lit,” adding that the emergency discussions that French President Emmanuel Macron convened on Monday in Paris have been a source of inspiration.
” Europe has one goal. To find strong, and getting solid quick”.
Will there be a peace power from the EU?
One short-term question is whether Europe had set boots on the ground in Ukraine to defend a possible serenity settlement, or hinder another Russian attack in the future, in addition to long-term discussions about increased defense spending and greater” proper autonomy,” the phrase Europe uses to describe lessening its dependence on the US.
There is becoming more and more discussion of forming a” coalition of the willing” among European nations as a result of the US’s announcement that it would not be prepared to do so.
The UK and France are leading efforts to create a German “reassurance power” of fewer than 30, 000 soldiers, American media reported on Thursday.
But important countries like Germany, which is heading to the elections on Sunday, are non-committal. Yet Poland, one of Kyiv’s closest friends, has been hesitant to commit soldiers to Ukraine.
European elections was sluggish EU decisions
The UK appears to get moving in the right direction as Germany becomes increasingly preoccupied with its own elections. According to US leaders, Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are scheduled to meet in Washington the following year.
Under the condition of anonymity, a EU diplomat told DW that there was a sense the EU would wait and see who their fresh speaker in Germany may be following Sunday’s votes. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the center-left leader, appears to be most likely to be replaced by Christian Democrat Friedrich Merz, the traditional.
Which events might end up in a European government’s alliance are still undetermined. Leading parties disagree on how this should be shaped by how its composition affects Germany’s position on Ukraine plan.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s international affairs chief, also warned that it was unnecessary to talk about a peace power earlier this week.
” If we are talking about soldiers, then we are walking into the Soviet capture because they don’t like peace”, she told the German media website Euractiv on Tuesday. ” First, we have to put pressure on]Russian President Vladimir ] Putin so he wants to move towards peace”.
