Monday 17 Feb 2025 @ 16:10
Chatham House
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Europe needs to make its own plan for peace in Ukraine – and rouse its people to the threat from Russia

EXPERT COMMENT

President Trump refuses to commit the US to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty. Europe must agree how to fill the vacuum to have a hope of influencing negotiations with Putin.

President Donald Trump’s comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month provided brief respite from fears he might sell out Ukraine to Russia. The president had seemed to place responsibility for opening negotiations to end the war in Ukraine on Russian President Vladimir Putin, rather than Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That suggested that perhaps he was on Ukraine’s side after all.

The past week has stripped away any such illusions. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined US policy towards Ukraine (changed 24 hours later) at a NATO defence ministerial. Hegseth proposed to concede territory to Russia, keep Ukraine out of NATO, and exclude US troops from guaranteeing Ukraine’s security. Then, President Trump revealed he has opened direct communications with Putin.

Making matters worse, these developments were chaotically communicated: The defence secretary and the president made contradictory remarks in less than a few hours of each other. Backtracking, ‘clarifying’ and changing views is already a hallmark of Trump’s second administration.

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Original article link: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/02/europe-needs-make-its-own-plan-peace-ukraine-and-rouse-its-people-threat-russia

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