View from London: Europe ‘must get real’ about Trump abandoning Ukraine

Pic.: publics

British and French officials drawing up plans for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine have discussed the need to “get real” about Donald Trump abandoning the country, ‘The Telegraph’ writes.

Officials agreed to shift the focus from deploying European troops to back up any ceasefire to sustaining Kyiv’s long-term defence against Russia without American support.

There is now a genuine concern that the US president will follow through on his threat to walk away from his role as a mediator.

“Let’s get real and admit the US will never be on board,” a Western official told the Telegraph, describing the dire mood at the meeting in the Hague.

A European diplomat added: “It was mostly about how to sustain the necessary support to Ukraine when we assume that the US would only continue providing some specific assets, such as intelligence. We also agreed on the need to step up economic pressure on Russia.”

The meeting in the Dutch capital, attended by “political directors” from foreign ministries, marked a stark change in roles of the “coalition of the willing” devised by Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron to uphold a possible ceasefire being pursued by the Americans.

Sir Keir and Mr Macron have been pushing the “coalition of the willing” proposal under which European allies would use their soldiers to help enforce any peace deal.

More than 30 nations have indicated support, although only a handful have publicly offered to put troops on the ground in Ukraine.

A central question had been whether Washington is willing to provide what has been described by UK figures as a “security guarantee” or a “back-up” for this force.

The group still hasn’t publicly conceded that its intentions have changed, with the chances of peace dwindling the longer Putin holds out against international pressure for a truce.

The European nations also agreed to invite Zelensky to the NATO summit in The Hague.

His attendance had previously been in doubt after Mr Trump’s vocal opposition to Ukraine joining the Western military alliance.

General Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump’s Ukraine envoy, said: “We’ve said that, to us, Ukraine coming into NATO is not on the table.

“And we’re not the only country that says that. You know, I can probably give you four countries in NATO, and it takes 32 of the 32 to allow you to come into NATO.”

Although Washington has not signed off on deliveries of new weapons since Mr Trump took office, it continues to ship hardware agreed under Joe Biden’s tenure.

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