European allies are concerned about a potential US withdrawal of support for Ukraine, viewing it as a threat to European security and the principle of unchanging post-WWII borders. They believe that a US pullout would embolden Russia and undermine the international order.
President Trump's administration presented proposals to Europe and Ukraine that were viewed as too favorable to Russia by European officials. This created a dilemma for European leaders, who are considering continued support for Ukraine even if the US withdraws.
Despite Trump's stance and the ongoing war, European countries, particularly Poland, have expressed their determination to continue supporting Ukraine. They highlight the importance of upholding the principle of maintaining post-WWII borders.
Following a deadly attack on Kyiv, President Trump publicly urged Vladimir Putin to stop the violence, demonstrating his frustration with the lack of progress towards ending the war. However, little hope is held that Putin will cease hostilities.
European allies of the United States have been trying to convince President Trump of the virtues of a shared approach toward ending the war in Ukraine, to enhance leverage on both Moscow and Kyiv and to preserve European security.
But Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance insisted on Wednesday that a set of proposals that their administration presented to the Europeans and Ukraine last week was now a kind of ultimatum, with the United States increasingly prepared to walk away. European officials who saw those proposals as too favorable to Russia and President Vladimir V. Putin face a dilemma.
If Mr. Trump sees Ukraine as just another crisis to fix or not, an obstacle toward a normalized diplomatic and business relationship with Mr. Putin, Europeans see the future of Ukraine as fundamental. At stake, European officials and analysts say, is the key principle of European security for more than 50 years — that international borders, however they were drawn after the end of World War II, should not be changed by force.
And those countries say they are prepared to keep supporting Ukraine should the Americans walk away.
Mr. Trump’s frustration with the reluctance of both sides to stop the war was evident on Thursday, after the latest Russian attack on Kyiv overnight, the deadliest to hit the capital since last summer. “Vladimir, STOP!” Mr. Trump said in a post on social media. Few in Europe or Ukraine expect Mr. Putin to stop.
“My sense is that Europe understands the stakes, and that Europe will continue to support the Ukrainian government,” Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski of Poland said in an interview. “And Poland certainly will, and we’re not the only ones.”
Skip the extension — just come straight here.
We’ve built a fast, permanent tool you can bookmark and use anytime.
Go To Paywall Unblock Tool