The European Union faces major challenges as the US tries to reach a deal to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and the split in the transatlantic alliance, Bloomberg reports.
The White House has published a new US national security doctrine that calls for Europe to take responsibility for its own defense. The document also says the White House disagrees with European officials who have unrealistic expectations about the conflict in Ukraine.
„European diplomats sometimes compare navigating US President Donald Trump’s Ukraine policy to a roller coaster. Now they are headed for a particularly steep descent,“ says the the article.
According to the agency, European leaders are deeply concerned by the US attempts to negotiate an agreement negotiated with Russia, which would constitute a “capitulation“ to the West. It is noted that such steps by US President Donald Trump have undermined the trust in his administration in Europe and raised the existential question of whether Europe can defend itself against the backdrop of the collapse of the transatlantic alliance.
European diplomats note that communication with the American and Ukrainian sides has been difficult recently, Bloomberg emphasizes. The agency reports that they are also increasingly prepared for the possibility that Trump will withdraw from the process of resolving the Ukrainian conflict if he manages to reach an agreement. According to an unnamed European official, there are several scenarios.
“The worst-case scenario is that he (Trump - ed. note) reduces pressure on Russia, prohibits the Ukraine to use American weapons and stop sharing intelligence with Kiev, leaving Europe truly alone,“ the article says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin received US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the US president's son-in-law and founder of Affinity Partners, at the Kremlin on Tuesday. The US representatives' visit to Russia was related to the discussion of the US peace plan for Ukraine. According to Putin, the US side has divided the 27 points into four packages and proposed to discuss them separately.
The US administration previously announced the development of a plan for a Ukrainian settlement, noting that it would not discuss its details for now, as work on it is still ongoing. The Kremlin said that Russia remains open to negotiations and remains committed to the discussions in Anchorage.
Putin, speaking at a meeting of the Russian Security Council on November 21, said that the US plan could form the basis for a final peace agreement, but that this text is not currently being substantially discussed with Russia. He suggested that this is because the US administration is clearly unable to secure Kiev's consent, as Ukraine and its European allies are still deluded and dream of inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Russia on the battlefield. Their position, Putin noted, stems from the lack of objective information about the real state of affairs on the battlefield.