In recent weeks, Europe has faced growing fatigue with the actions of Donald Trump, who remains convinced of the success of his peace initiative for Ukraine. Just five weeks ago, the U.S. president shocked the world by calling Vladimir Putin and announcing the start of a process that, according to him, would end the war in Ukraine.
European leaders responded with outrage, declaring that Ukraine’s future must be determined with its participation. However, these calls went unanswered. Instead of dialogue, Trump and his administration continued to publicly criticize Ukrainian leadership, leading to deteriorating relations and new economic measures, including tariffs on aluminum and steel imports.
Despite this, the U.S. and Ukraine reached an agreement for talks in Saudi Arabia, resulting in a 30-day ceasefire, provided that Russia also agreed to comply. However, despite Trump’s efforts, Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the proposed ceasefire, setting additional conditions and resuming missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Trump continued to assure that his policy was successful, stating that his conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky was “very good” and that the peace negotiations were moving forward. Meanwhile, European leaders, discussing the situation at a summit in Brussels, expressed doubts about the effectiveness of this approach and noted that the EU had been excluded from key negotiations.
The summit revealed how complex the situation had become for Europe. EU leaders were unable to agree on a plan for supporting Ukraine and increasing defense capabilities, facing internal disagreements. Despite calls for the strengthening of military potential, discussions on a new financial program worth 150 billion euros stalled, and the proposal to allocate 40 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine failed.
Amid these disagreements, Europe continues to discuss possible steps to enhance security and establish peacekeeping forces. However, all these efforts are at risk of being derailed as government disagreements over issues such as fishing quotas continue to hinder consensus.
Meanwhile, Trump remains calm, despite ongoing Russian missile strikes on Ukraine, continuing to believe that his approach can still lead to the long-awaited peace.
