Putin has no interest in a meeting with Zelensky, which was discussed after the top-level talks in Alaska and Washington. The meeting in Alaska between Putin and Trump was nothing more than a farce and only Putin benefited from it, as many observers noted. He was only interested in the photos with Trump, which he got.
To this should be added the demonstration of solidarity during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, where Putin was next to Chinese leader Xi Jinping throughout. The two are considered pioneers of a new world order in which the continued existence of the West is being questioned. Last week, the Kremlin already arrogantly stated that Putin had no time for a meeting with Zelensky because he was traveling to China.
Europe must act actively
Was the Alaska meeting a mistake? No, absolutely not. There was more excitement in August than in the previous three and a half years of war. But the window of opportunity is again under threat of closing. And now, at the latest, Europe and Germany must enter the game.
The "Coalition of the Willing" intends to meet on September 4 in Paris to discuss what to do next. Russia wants the surrender of Ukraine, America - territorial concessions in the hope that this will lead to an end to hostilities. But what does Europe want?
Europe must understand that for the United States, China and many other countries in the world, this war is being fought far from their borders. For this reason alone, Europe is much more interested in defining the framework conditions under which the war can be ended. It is not enough to step in as an arbitrator after the talks between Trump and Putin and demand a ceasefire before the talks begin. No one expects such demands. Europe can no longer stand aside and just say what should not be done.
Security guarantees and the question of responsibility
Europe must focus on its own strategy with which the war in Ukraine can be ended. This also applies to future peacekeeping forces. There is a broad consensus that these forces should become a key component of security guarantees. But Europe, and especially Germany, are reluctant to take on the necessary responsibility.
The Americans will not provide ground troops, Trump has repeatedly stated. And when EC President Ursula von der Leyen said over the weekend that Europe had a fairly precise plan for what the peacekeeping force should look like, Germany immediately launched criticism. This decision was not within the competence of the EU, and it was not right to discuss the issues before the start of the negotiations, German politicians pointed out.
All parties in Germany - from the conservatives and social democrats to the greens, the left and "Alternative for Germany" - are against the participation of the Bundeswehr. The historical burden of World War II is too heavy. Others, however, perceive this not as a lesson from the past, but as a denial of responsibility. Germany risks losing credibility. This issue will also be discussed at the meeting in Paris.
By the way, security guarantees are not just insurance for a peace agreement. Because it may not be achieved soon. These security guarantees must be formulated clearly in advance - as a signal to Putin. Europe needs to develop its own vision for the post-war order in Ukraine. Once this is clear, it will be easier to formulate and implement the corresponding security guarantees.
Europe needs to have its own vision for the end of the war
But armament and security guarantees to contain Russia are only one side of the coin, the other is diplomacy. Europe needs to ask itself whether its diplomatic options have really been completely exhausted. Over the past 3.5 years, it has not come up with a single diplomatic initiative to end the war. Because there are none? Or even ideas? To say now that this will not work anyway because Putin does not want a diplomatic solution would mean excluding this side of the coin in the future.
Europe needs to understand that it needs its own vision for how to end the war. Because right now, no one can say whether Putin and Zelensky will meet at all and when - it may not be in two weeks, not in two months, and it may not be next year.
Dirk Emmerich is a correspondent for the German TV channels n-tv and RTL. He has lived and worked for many years in Moscow and Washington and was a correspondent for n-tv in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and other countries in conflict.