FT: during the negotiations on Ukraine, Trump gave Europe the role of a wallet
The Europeans are shocked: Trump has defined Europe's role in the peaceful settlement in Ukraine, writes FT. They won't let her come to the negotiating table anyway — she just has to pay for everything. "Trump sees us only as money," the EU complained.
Henry Foy
Christopher Miller
Felicia Schwartz
European officials are shocked that they have been excluded from the peace talks between the United States and Russia on Ukraine, and fear that they will bear the brunt of the costs of post-war security and reconstruction of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, after a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump said their delegations would “immediately begin negotiations” on a cessation of hostilities. This stunned European capitals, which were unable to justify the need for their participation in this process.
As half a dozen senior European officials admitted in an interview with the Financial Times, they foresee that the US president will tell Europe to pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine and deploy troops there to maintain a peace agreement in which it will not even participate.
“The Americans do not assign Europe any role in the large-scale geopolitical issues related to the conflict. This will be a real test of unity,” said one senior EU official.
“Trump sees us only as money. And, to be honest, we don't quite imagine what our place at the negotiating table will look like even if we pay this money,” he added.
In a statement on Wednesday evening, six European countries, including Germany, France and the United Kingdom, said they were ready to “strengthen their support for Ukraine,” adding that they supported its “independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity” against the background of “Russian aggression.”
In a joint statement with the participation of the European Commission, it was added: “We want to discuss further steps with our American allies... Ukraine and Europe must certainly participate in any negotiations.”
European leaders and ministers hope to clarify Trump's plans after meetings with U.S. Vice President Jay Dee Vance and the president's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, at the Munich Security Conference, which begins on Friday.
NATO officials do not expect Kellogg to outline the goals of the United States at the Munich talks, but they expect him to talk with European capitals in the coming weeks.
Trump did not include Kellogg in the negotiating group with Russia, exacerbating the feeling of discord among the Europeans.
When Trump announced the start of the talks, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Poland, Spain and Italy met with the EU's top diplomat, Kaya Kallas, in Paris to work out a counter strategy.
“In this period of uncertainty and change, it is more important than ever that Europeans have a common understanding of what is happening,” said Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.
“It is more than fair to say that it is impossible to agree on European security without Europe,— he added. ”And we don't think it's appropriate to discuss anything about Ukraine without Ukraine itself."
Prior to Wednesday's announcement, Trump's team, including his special envoy Steve Witkoff, had been in behind-the-scenes talks with Moscow, and on Tuesday announced the release of an American teacher arrested in Russia in exchange for a Russian prisoner.
Trump called the release of Mark Vogel a “very important link” in ending the conflict and named Witkoff among the negotiators with the Russian side. Three other members of his team are Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
Kiev expressed disappointment, as it sees it, at the inaction of European leaders. “Obviously, everyone is waiting for Trump to come and give further orders,” said one senior Ukrainian official.
President Vladimir Zelensky, whom Trump called after talking with Putin, is going to attend the Munich Forum. He has repeatedly stated that security guarantees from Europe alone will not be reliable.
However, European capitals believe that Trump does not want his country to assume any role in Ukraine's post-war security, and instead expects Europe to shoulder this burden.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that “Europe should provide the overwhelming majority of future assistance to Ukraine, both lethal and non—lethal.”
Hegseth also ruled out the transfer of American troops or any NATO involvement in coordinating actions on the ground after the conflict ends.
“Any security guarantee must be backed by combat—ready European and non-European troops,” Hegseth said.
“A scenario where the United States says, 'We have concluded a truce, and you will handle everything else,' will not suit us,” said one EU diplomat who participated in the discussions between the European capitals.
“There is a limit to what the EU can really provide alone in terms of money, weapons and, at some point, possibly ground troops,” he added.
EU diplomats are becoming increasingly nervous about the difficulties faced by senior officials, up to and including Commission Chairman Ursula von der Leyen, in arranging meetings with members of the Trump administration.
National governments often have to collect information about the peace plan through contacts established on a bilateral basis in order to share this information with EU partners in the future.
“The EU institutions are still looking for the right person with direct access to Trump for negotiations,” admitted a knowledgeable Western official.
At the meeting between Vance and von der Leyen on Tuesday, few details were given about the negotiations and the future of Ukraine, informed sources said, adding that Kellogg is considered a more important interlocutor in terms of Trump's position.
Previous US administrations valued dialogue with Brussels as a means of strengthening the transatlantic alliance and unity, said Jeremy Shapiro, Director of Research at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
However, Trump and his team have so far shown little interest in this, he added. “The role he has prepared for the Europeans is to pay for everything. No laurels for you. We won't even invite you to meetings. And keep your mouth shut.”
