Europeans said Ukraine reached a 30-day ceasefire with the United States in the war with Russia and eagerly awaits a response from Moscow.
They relaxed because Washington also announced that it would immediately restore military and intelligence support to Ukraine. It is expected that Russia must now respond in kind, otherwise President Trump will at least put some pressure on Moscow, at least similar to the straightforward instrument he used against Ukraine.
“The ball is now in the Russian court,” two EU leaders António Costa and Ursula Von der Leyen said in a message on social media.
But in the same sentence, European leaders also welcomed the restoration of Ukraine's security support, thus making it equally important.
“We welcome news about Jeddah's Ukraine talks, including proposals for a ceasefire agreement and proposals to restore U.S. intelligence sharing and security assistance,” the news said on Tuesday. “This is a positive development and it could be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
They also tried to remind Mr. Trump and his team that if Washington wants Europe to guarantee any peace agreement in Ukraine, Europe wants to be at the negotiating table. News (tip, prompt) “The EU is ready to play its full role in the upcoming peace talks.”
Overall, European leaders were shocked by the anger at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the notorious Oval Office news media on February 28, with Mr. Trump clearly accepting the Russian narrative that Ukraine began the war.
When Mr. Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg said Ukraine had to hit the head, they were also hit, “a bit like hitting a two-quarter of the nose” to make it comply with Mr. Trump's request. Timber proved to deny life-saving military and intelligence support for Ukraine, missiles and its U.S.-made fighter jets.
This prompted some people in Europe, such as Nathalie Tocci, director of the Italian Institute for International Affairs, to doubt whether Washington would do the same thing to them one day, and a good idea to buy such high-tech American weapons, such as the F-35 fighter jets, such as the F-35 Fighter Jets that rely on U.S. software and fuse with U.S. satellites.
European leaders gathered in Paris, London and Brussels last week, which was guaranteed that Ukraine would continue and even increase its support. “Ukraine is our own security issue,” said Norbert Röttgen, a foreign policy expert and German parliamentarian. “If Ukraine falls, it will be a clear threat to Europe.”
However, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that Ukraine needs US support. Although Europe has vowed to continue to provide money and weapons to Ukraine, it still cannot replace the key U.S. capabilities such as intelligence and missile defense, at least not in the near future.
Therefore, European leaders were also relieved of Mr. Zelensky's understanding of his difficulties. After the Oval Office blast, they worked hard to convince Mr. Zelensky to take Mr. Cotton to the White House and repeatedly expressed gratitude to relieve Mr. Trump. Mr. Zelensky did so while promising him to continue supporting another claim offered by Mr. Trump to provide the opportunity for the U.S. privileged access to Ukrainian mineral wealth, in addition to a portion.
Europeans have been urging Mr. Zelensky to continue to put pressure on Russia and help Mr. Trump see that his president Vladimir V. Putin is the problem.
Ministers of Defense from Europe's most important military powers – France, Italy, Germany, Poland and Britain – were held in Paris on Wednesday, and the next day, military leaders from more than 30 countries in the French capital gathered to discuss Ukraine's security assurances, including potential formation of transnational peace forces to monitor any ceasefire.
However, the Defense Minister did not provide specific details on the potential scale or mission of peacekeeping forces, and this discussion was too early when fighting between Russia and Ukraine.
French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said: “We must not put the car on the horse.
He later added: “You won't ask the European troops to do the work of the Ukrainian army.”
Europeans also gathered to have a preliminary discussion on their preparations to ensure a long-term agreement between Ukraine and Russia. Still unknown, including the purpose of such power, its scale, financing and command structure. But Europeans do know that they need American cooperation and air support to make such a mission credible.
It is not even clear that Moscow will be reluctant to consider allowing European forces to be allowed in Ukraine, as one of the main purposes of the Russian invasion is to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and allow NATO forces there.
But Macron, in particular, further, seeing the Ukraine’s American turntable is another sign that Europe must do more for its defense than relying on a United States that is indifferent to Europe, not openly hostile, both economically and politically.
Now, like the Ukrainians, Europeans are waiting for Mr. Putin's response. So far, he and his officials have rejected the idea of a ceasefire before finally resolving the conflict. Moreover, there is no guarantee that even if a 30-day ceasefire is conducted, the war does not need to go on, at least it gives the impression that Mr. Trump just wants to win to show that he can stop killing, or even temporarily stop killing.
Aurelien Breeden Reports from Paris.
