The EU lashes out at Trump for extending a hand to Putin: "We must pressure the aggressor, not the victim"

BrusselsA clear message from the European Union to Donald Trump. Community leaders disapprove of the US administration's decision to relax sanctions on Russia with the release of Russian diesel. Trump's move, which aims to lower fuel prices with one month to go before the US midterm elections, has landed like a bucket of cold water in Europe, as it puts their entire sanctions architecture on the ropes.

"We definitely have a different approach regarding this war," said the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, at the entrance to the EU leaders' summit, arguing that "we must pressure the aggressor to stop the war, not the victim to surrender." "Drowning Ukraine is not the right approach," she added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Brussels today to meet with European Union leaders at a time when support from the US administration is wavering. Zelenskyy met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the prime ministers of Poland, Denmark, and Belgium, to whom he conveyed that more pressure on Russia and more defensive support for Ukraine are needed.

Kyiv has watched with concern this week as the Trump administration has placed its own particular political interests above firmness with Moscow. The latest decision that has caused a stir involves Starlink satellites – a vital network for battlefield communications and drones – which Kyiv claims Washington has blocked.

Faced with these circumstances, member states have rallied to support Ukraine. Avoiding direct confrontation with the United States, they have made it clear, however, that they disapprove of its strategy. "I see the US as a partner, they are a strong ally, as is NATO, [...] but sometimes good friends need a reminder of what is right," affirmed Kristen Michal, the Prime Minister of Estonia, in reference to Trump. In the same vein, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed her regret that Trump's deal worsens the alliance with Washington. "We are worse off than a few days ago," she said.

Less beer, more defense

To cope with the expenses linked to the defense of Ukraine –especially in a context where support from the United States is in doubt–, some leaders have appealed to increase the budget for this item. The Netherlands, for example, has asked its partners to increase their contributions. "I ask all European leaders to do more financially [...], because many European countries are falling behind in their support for Ukraine," asserted its Prime Minister, Rob Jetten.

One of the most curious demands in this regard was led by the Prime Minister of Latvia, Andris Kulbergs, who proposed giving up drinking beer to allocate more resources to defense. He said that "one less beer for every European per year" would help cover the cost of the war. While for Europeans beer is just "an expense," in Ukraine, he says, "it is a matter of life and death." "If we drink less, lives are saved. It's that simple," he concluded.

During the meeting in the community capital, EU leaders must address how to meet the urgent needs of critical Ukrainian infrastructure in the face of Russian attacks, especially against energy plants, and must review European financial and military support, including the 90 billion euro loan agreed upon for Ukraine. They will also discuss response instruments against Russia's hybrid actions, such as drone incursions, sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation operations.

In this sense, the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Rumen Radev, explained that his country will work with Romania to present a proposal to EU leaders to stop drone attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea. To address this issue, the two leaders met this Thursday with the NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, who showed himself open to "adjusting" the Alliance's deterrence and defense posture "where necessary." The Romanian leader asserted that these attacks are a Russian attempt to destabilize NATO's eastern flank.

After the interview published this Thursday in the Financial Times, in which Zelensky lashes out at Trump and describes him as an admirer of Vladimir Putin, the same newspaper reports that European leaders want to ask the Ukrainian president to moderate his public criticism of his American counterpart. They fear that the deterioration of the relationship between Washington and Kyiv will end up harming Ukraine, which remains dependent on American intelligence and Western military support.