European leaders annoyed after learning that Putin and Trump are negotiating in secret

BrusselsIt doesn't matter that the European Union has been the partner that has contributed the most money to help Ukraine, that it is the ally that has suffered most directly from the consequences of Russian expansionism, and that its security depends largely on ending the war. The administration of Donald Trump and the regime of Vladimir Putin They have not consulted the European blog at any point. when negotiating a potential truce or peace agreement. In fact, both powers have not included Ukraine in the latest truce discussions, and the day after the 28-point peace plan, which includes major concessions from Moscow, was made public, a US envoy traveled to Ukraine to deliver the pact and pressure the Volod government.

As is typical with Trump, the United States completely relegates the European Union to the sidelines, and in turn, European leaders are reacting by demanding a seat at the negotiating table. "For the war to end, Ukrainians and Europeans must be on board with the plans," the EU's foreign policy chief, Kakha Kallas, told reporters at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Thursday.

Kallas, however, was not the only leader to reiterate this request the day after the news broke of the resumption of peace negotiations between Washington and Moscow. The vast majority of foreign ministers from the European bloc agree and categorically oppose any concessions on Putin's maximalist demands, which the US administration has already accepted on more than one occasion. "Any decision on the future of Ukraine cannot be made behind their backs, nor behind the backs of the European Union and Europeans. [...] And not only can it not be made behind their backs, but they must be at the absolute center of any decision," stated Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.

Despite these demands, the European Union's position vis-à-vis the Trump administration, which disdains it, is extremely weak. And, at least until now, both with the tariff conflict and the Gaza war, European leaders have bowed to American interests, adopted a low profile, and accepted the whims of the White House occupant. The question, then, is to what extent the EU and Volodymyr Zelensky can withstand Trump's pressure to accept a peace agreement that, if Putin accepts it, would be detrimental to Ukraine and European security, and beneficial to Russian expansionism. For the moment, European leaders are trying to hold firm. "We have seen it before: a peace plan without Europeans and Ukrainians cannot work," the EU's foreign policy chief insisted at a press conference.

The United States, however, is acting as if it doesn't care. Far from making any effort to include the European Union in discussions with Russia, they are intensifying their pressure on Zelensky to give in and accept the conditions imposed by Putin and supported by Trump. To this end, the United States has sent its highest-profile delegation since the return of the Republican administration, led by US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll. Among others, he met this Wednesday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, in Kyiv and is scheduled to meet with Zelensky tonight.

Skepticism about the negotiations

Despite the resumption of negotiations, both the European Commission and EU member states remain highly skeptical about a potential peace agreement. "If Russia truly wanted peace, it could have agreed to an unconditional ceasefire long ago," the EU's foreign policy chief reminded everyone, adding that the Russian military had bombed Ukrainian civilians earlier that evening.

Even if Putin were to strangely change his mind and suddenly accept a truce, European leaders advocate for continued sanctions and pressure on Russia to ensure it arrives at any potential negotiation table as weakened as possible. For this reason, Kallas and the European ministers have defended the application of sanctions packages against the Kremlin and their intention to, for example, continue fighting against what is known as Russia's ghost fleet. These are the ships that circumvent European Union restrictions and transport Russian-origin fossil fuels around the world, generating significant revenue for Putin's regime.