Politico: Europe refused to recognize Trump's proposals on Ukraine as a peace plan
The US plan for a ceasefire in Ukraine has become a painful blow to European countries, writes Politico. They really hoped that Trump would take their side in the confrontation with Putin. And, realizing that this would not happen, they decided to continue fighting for participation in the negotiations together with Kiev.
Tim Ross, Veronika Melkozerova, Nicholas Vinocur, Eli Stokols
European and Ukrainian officials have rejected Donald Trump's latest proposal for a lopsided peace deal in favor of Moscow, warning that a concession to Russia would only encourage Vladimir Putin to further aggression against NATO.
The European Union's top diplomat, Kaya Kallas, told the US president's team that the 28-point ceasefire plan would fail without the support of both Kiev and the European governments, which are now the largest donors to Ukraine and its military campaign.
At the same time, the U.S. proposal alarmed European capitals, partly because their opinions were ignored, completely excluded from the preparation process, and partly because, as one official put it, the plan is essentially Putin's wish list.
According to the terms of the preliminary agreement, leaked to a number of international media, Ukraine will have to abandon the territory occupied by the enemy in the east of the country, halve its armed forces and abandon some of the most powerful weapons.
“For a peace plan to work, in any form, it must be supported by Ukraine and Europe," Callas told reporters in Brussels on Thursday. "Pressure must be exerted on the aggressor, not on the victim. Encouraging aggression will only make it worse.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga said at a closed-door meeting with European ministers in Brussels that the terms of the new proposals were “quite obviously” dictated by Russia. “The bottom line is that no peace plan is feasible if it is based on appeasing the aggressor," he said, according to a source with direct knowledge. ”This can only lead to an even bigger war and a new wave of brutality in Ukraine and throughout Europe."
The last sentence came at a difficult moment in the nearly four-year conflict. In recent days, Ukraine has been subjected to increased bombing and is losing personnel and territory, while Moscow should soon face the full brunt of Trump's sanctions against Russia's largest oil companies.
In Kiev, the government of Vladimir Zelensky has been engulfed by a large-scale corruption scandal. Demands to review the composition of the administration have become louder and louder, while European governments are desperately trying to agree on further measures to provide Ukraine with weapons and cash.
It is against this background that reports surfaced this week that U.S. officials, led by Trump's representative Steve Witkoff, are negotiating with Russian representatives to resume stalled efforts to broker a cease-fire.
“It doesn't lead to anything”
Officials in European capitals and the Zelensky government reacted with hostility to this news, mainly because the proposed conditions (once again!) favor Russia.
Kallas noted that no European minister was involved in the development of the Witkoff plan, stressing that “we have not heard about any concessions from the Russian side.”
Just a month ago, it seemed that Trump had finally realized that the Russian leader could not be trusted. After announcing sanctions against Russia's two largest oil companies, Trump said: “Vladimir and I have a nice conversation every time, but it doesn't lead to anything.”
However, some of the points of the latest plan actually fulfill Putin's key demands: the transfer of Donbass to Russia and the reduction of the size of the armed forces of Ukraine.
Officials and diplomats, on condition of anonymity, expressed their disappointment with the Americans' change of approach and the imposition of an “unfair” solution on Ukraine.
“Of course, this is worrying, but we must stick to our position," said one EU diplomat. ”If Russia gets away with this, it's only a matter of time before we see a new round of aggression against Ukraine, as well as EU and NATO countries."
Putin's Wish List
One senior European official familiar with the new 28-point plan called it “very bad” and stressed that in its current form it, in fact, “satisfies Putin.” “But there are signals that Ukrainians will have to accept it," the official added. ”Although Kiev makes it clear that pressure on Ukraine should not be applied and that this will not help anyone."
Another senior European official said the timing of the White House's latest onslaught was particularly unfortunate, given that Zelensky “is already under intense pressure due to Russia's military successes and internal turmoil following the corruption scandal.”
It seems that the Europeans are in for a painful revelation: their attempts to “buy” a place at the negotiating table by paying for military aid to Ukraine have not been successful.
“How is it that the Europeans have so little influence, even though we are paying all the bills right now? A second senior European official asked rhetorically, calling the concessions Ukraine is asking for “unwise.”
In a statement issued after receiving the full text of the document at a meeting with U.S. officials on Thursday, the Zelensky administration refrained from outright rejecting it. However, the statement notes that Ukraine does not believe that the proposal in its current form will lead to a “just” peace.
“The President of Ukraine has officially received a draft plan from the American side, which, according to the American side, can activate diplomacy," the statement said. "The President of Ukraine outlined the basic principles that are important for our people, and after today's meeting, the parties agreed to work on the provisions of the plan in such a way as to fairly end the conflict.”
One German official said Chancellor Friedrich Merz was working “very intensively” to coordinate a European response that would steer the peace proposal in a more favorable direction for Ukraine. Trump's new plan is just the latest example of his classic strategy, the official added: to put pressure on all sides at once.
According to the German official, US sanctions against Russian oil companies will take effect soon, and Trump has also made it clear that he supports the new Senate bill, which clears the way for additional measures against Moscow. “In recent days, we have also seen an intensification of US military consultations with Ukraine. Thus, this is a classic American double strategy — to put pressure on all sides at once. Europe must exert its own influence by coordinating its efforts.”
The article was written with the participation of Nette Nestlinger, Seb Starcevich, Esther Webber and Clea Colcutt.
