Trump's frivolity fails to stop Russian missiles: Kiev shaken and Europe powerless

LondonThursday morning Kiev experienced one of the most devastating attacks this year., the second heaviest since the start of the war: 31 ballistic missiles, more than 600 drones, and dozens of affected sites. The toll, which has been updated hourly, is this Friday morning at 23 dead, including several children, more than sixty injured, and civilian infrastructure destroyed: a shopping center, the headquarters of the European Union and the British Council, thousands of broken windows, cut power supplies, grounded families, and a city. The Kremlin thus paid for Donald Trump's supposed efforts to achieve peace. Various European and EU leaders reacted with indignation—they don't show as much in the face of what is happening in Gaza–, which is another form of impotence.

Just a few days earlier, European diplomacy had been deployed in Washington, with Trump in the center of the photoBut what seemed like an opportunity to the most optimistic turned into nothing but grandiloquent rhetoric and airy promises. Trump presented himself as the great mediator, talking about dividing up territories, making and breaking commitments as the hours passed. The tangible result is that peace "in 24 hours" that was to end "a ridiculous war" "which should never have started," as promised during the election campaign, was once again shown to be a farce. No concrete formula governed by diplomacy and international law.

The meeting –a kind of television show– It shone more due to the US president's egocentrism than any tangible progress. This Thursday, while the fires of the attack on Kiev were still burning throughout the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that within "ten days" there should be concrete security guarantees for his country on paper. These were supposed to have begun to be finalized at the White House, with pressure from France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, and the Coalition of the Willing, but nothing came of it. Only superficial praise from Trump for the leaders present, jokes about the German chancellor's tan, references to history and World War II... Home-grown solemnity. No concreteness or real commitment to the protection of Kiev.

Alaska summit between Trump and Putin Two weeks ago, it only served to reinforce the sense of farce: Putin has no intention of giving in, and Thursday's attacks provided the cruelest proof. Russia doesn't negotiate, it attacks.

Experts speak out

A group from experts with whom ARA spoke a few months ago They had already warned that a ceasefire cannot be improvised. Natalia Bugayova, from the Institute for the Study of War, pointed out that the Minsk treaties had failed and paved the way for a broader invasion. Without solid security guarantees, Putin betrayed the agreement again in 2022.

Volatile promises, like those made by Donald Trump, are of no use. There must be precise documents: the validity of the agreement, permitted or prohibited activities, verification mechanisms, the involvement of international organizations... None of this emerged from that meeting or from that Western summit, little more than improvised, in the Oval Office.

Cambridge University jurist Mark Weller proposed a slow path: withdrawal of forces, demilitarized zones for both sides in the fight with international contingents, postponing the territorial issue until a pan-European security conference in a few years. After all, as in the Korean War, a ceasefire can take years to reach an armistice, and even longer—perhaps never—for a true peace treaty.

Meanwhile, Zelensky and European leaders can continue to express "indignation," but it is an impotent indignation if it is not accompanied by structured action. And Trump, an erratic actor, provides nothing but noise. The last-minute proposal for air cover, or its subsequent denial, exemplifies his improvisation. European partners may take note, but they can't do anything. Neither in Paris, nor in Berlin, nor in London, nor in Brussels is there confidence that the White House can lead a serious peace process, and even less so with a president who treats tragedy with words like those he said on Thursday: "Perhaps neither side in this war is ready to end it."

Next week, Putin will join the military parade in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia and the Pacific. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who has not visited Beijing since 2019, will also attend. Xi is strengthening ties with Moscow and Pyongyang, with which the Chinese leader projects great influence over two key players. Meanwhile, Donald Trump plays games and Europe and Ukraine seem out of the game, but they do not raise their voices to the White House negotiator. Quite the opposite.