European leaders are concerned about the administration’s new approach to transatlantic relations and President Trump’s plan to cut a deal with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine.
Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday for a meeting that aimed to end Ukraine’s war.
Trump and Putin met last week and agreed to hold peace talks to end the three-year conflict without his allies in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. Trump also mentioned a potential meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, and European leaders concerned about this, who have warned Kyiv would reject any agreement made without its support.
At the Munich Security Conference this weekend, Zelenskyy said, “No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine are made. Europe must have a seat at the table when decisions about Europe are being made.”
So what’s the Trump administration’s new approach, and how will Europe respond to the new reality?
What’s on the agenda at US-Russia talks in Riyadh?
Rubio and the Lavrov-led Russian delegation have sat down for talks with special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and national security adviser Mike Waltz.
The Riyadh discussions could also serve as a prelude to a possible meeting between Trump and Putin in addition to attempting to repair the tense relations between Washington and Moscow. The talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, would be “primarily devoted to restoring the whole complex of Russian-American relations”.
“The world is holding its breath as the meeting between these high-ranking officials in Riyadh has started”, Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova said, adding that no breakthrough is expected.
“The settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, as well as improving Russia-US bilateral relations – which have hit rock bottom – are on the agenda”, she said, reporting from Moscow.
Why are Europe and Ukraine concerned about not being invited to the summit in Riyadh?
Zelenskyy, who traveled to the United Arab Emirates on Monday, reiterated that he would not accept any decisions regarding Ukraine between the US and Russia.
Leaders in Europe have also expressed their concern about the inclusion of Europe and Ukraine in the discussions and their desire to participate in the discussions.
After Trump made a unilateral remark to Putin on Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said over the weekend that “a dictated peace will never find our support.”
Trump later told reporters that Zelenskyy will be involved in the negotiations, without giving further explanation. Keith Kellogg, the US envoy for Ukraine, also tried to reassure that no deal would be imposed on Ukraine.
Kellogg is heading to Kyiv on a three-day visit.
A resolution that addresses Kyiv’s legitimate security concerns would be welcomed by the country, which has lost nearly 20% of its territory and lost thousands of lives.
“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. Russia must end its aggression in order to do this, and it must be supported by credible security guarantees for Ukrainians, according to France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who was meeting with European leaders in Paris the day before.
Because neither Ukraine nor Europe are represented, European leaders are concerned. According to Timothy Ash, an associate fellow in Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia program, “they believe Trump will sell Ukraine down the river.”
“They fear a similar outcome as per Trump’s messaging on Gaza – he simply does not care”, Ash said, referring to Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza after displacing Palestinians, which would amount to ethnic cleansing and a war crime.
How are European leaders reacting to Trump’s change in their views on transatlantic ties and the Ukraine?
Following the new Trump administration’s three-year suspension of US policy in Ukraine and the release of proposals that will alter the transatlantic alliance’s dynamics since 1949, European leaders have been frantically looking for solutions.
On Sunday, Kellogg, Trump’s envoy for Ukraine, announced that Europe would not be at the table for Ukraine peace negotiations. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated last week that Ukraine’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was “unrealistic.”
Hegseth stated that Europe should increase its financial and military responsibilities in Ukraine in line with Trump’s claim that Europe should increase its spending on NATO. After any agreement is reached with Russia, he also ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine. Brussels should “step up in a big way to provide for its own defense,” according to US Vice President JD Vance.
European leaders gathered in Paris on Monday to discuss their next steps, stifled by the messaging and tone of Trump’s top advisers. Macron was joined by leaders from Germany, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, alongside officials from NATO and the European Union.
“Ready and willing”, NATO chief Mark Rutte posted on X on Monday.
In recent years, Europe has increased its aid to Kyiv, spending nearly $ 140 billion more than the US, which has spent about $ 120 billion since the war broke out in February 2022.
As a result of Trump’s approach to Putin being viewed by some as a betrayal by a key ally, Ash from the Chatham House explained that Europe is “realizing the US is an unreliable partner”.
Europe’s main fear is Russian aggression beyond Ukraine, as Washington has been Europe’s security guarantor for decades through the NATO alliance. However, Trump has argued that Europe should assume greater security risk. The US wants to withdraw some of its troops from Europe, according to reports in the media.
In 2014, NATO member states pledged to contribute at least two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to defence, but more than 10 years later, only 23 of the 32 members have honoured their commitment. Trump wants defense spending to be 5% of GDP.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, stated in a post on X on Monday that “we need a surge in defense in Europe.”
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Europe, calling the economic relationship with the European Union “an atrocity.” This is in response to the transatlantic rift.
If Trump starts a trade war, European leaders have declared they will retaliate. Trump has already slapped steep tariffs on several countries, including China.
Can Europe offer Ukraine security guarantees?
According to European sources, Washington distributed a questionnaire to European leaders asking what the nations could offer in terms of security guarantees for Ukraine. Al Jazeera, however, has not seen the questionnaire.
Given that the US has other priorities, such as border security, the Trump administration wants Europe to take the lead in upholding security in Kyiv.
Only Washington and Moscow can resolve these issues, according to Anatol Lieven, director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
“That includes, obviously, NATO membership because it is for NATO, led by the US, to invite new members”.
However, Lieven asserted that Ukrainians and Europeans will have to make their own decisions regarding the reconstruction of Ukraine and its membership in the European Union.
Following a peace deal, European leaders at the Paris meeting did not reach an agreement on whether to send troops to Ukraine.
“Nothing has emerged from the public statements from the Paris meeting that shows Europe is any closer to proposing, let alone implementing, anything”, Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, told Al Jazeera.
British troops might be sent to Sweden and Ukraine, according to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. However, German Chancellor Scholz described the deployment of troops as “completely premature.”
Giles continued, “Europe’s military heavyweights are either too hesitant like Germany or they understand this places their own security in jeopardy, like Finland.”
This raises questions about the creation of such a force and how.
Source: Aljazeera
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