Europe should push the United States aside and take charge of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, according to a new analysis. The call comes amid growing frustration with the Trump administration's approach, which critics say favours Russian interests over Ukrainian sovereignty.
The article, published by a European commentator, argues that Ukraine has no reason to accept a Russian-American peace proposal that would not bring lasting peace. It notes that Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy to talks with the Kremlin, has been dubbed 'Dim Philby' by British intelligence for his perceived pro-Russian bias. The analysis warns that ceding territory in the Donbas would violate Ukraine's constitution and cause political collapse.
European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, recently met in London to show solidarity with Kyiv. Merz expressed scepticism about the US-Russia peace plans, which he said endorse Russia's land grab, weaken Ukraine's military, block Nato membership, and demand unconstitutional elections.
The analysis suggests Europe could use €300bn of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's defence and propose a multilateral defence treaty outside Nato. It argues that Russia lacks the capacity to take on European forces and that a ceasefire should be negotiated from a position of Russian weakness, not the false strength assigned by the Trump administration.
The piece concludes that allowing the US to act as honest broker in a process that represents Russian interests threatens the liberal democratic fabric of Europe. It urges Europe to shoulder the US aside and pursue a real threat against Russia.
