LOS ANGELES.–President Donald Trump, 78, has been snubbed by the European Union as it takes a bigger role in ceasefire and peace talks with Ukraine. Trump had the peace deal in hand before Ukraine’s 47-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky stabbed him in the back, ran around to the EU to get what he thinks is a better deal in any final peace settlement. Now the EU, meeting at G7 conference in Banff, Canada, rubber stamps Brussels as they continue to takeover negotiations with the Kremlin. “We condemn Russia’s continued brutal war against Ukraine and comment the immense resilience form the Ukrainian people and economy,” said G7 finance ministers, attended by Treasure Secretary Scott Bessent. At this point, Trump has washed his hands of the interference run by the EU, awaiting consequences for Ukraine that involve more death-and-destruction.
Zelensky thinks he has a new strategy that gives him leverage, or cards as Trump likes to call it, with 72-year-old President Vladimir Putin. But Putin is no pushover or fool and won’t take the recent round of EU sanctions lightly. Trump refused to go along with the sanctions despite the EU saying they had Trump’s backing. Trump essentially told the EU that if you think you know what you’re doing, go ahead with your plan. No question that the EU’s plan backfires at some point, while Putin ratchets up the war without any let up. EU officials like French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.S. Prime Minister Keir Starmer think they can mess with Putin without consequences. Putin is prepared to keep the war going indefinitely, not likely to roll over anytime soon. Giving Ukraine support doesn’t mean the Brussels wants to fund proxy war with the Kemlin.
Zelensky has gaslighted the EU to think that if Ukraine loses the war, Putin will move beyond Ukraine to other spots in Europe. Zelensky has no facts on his side only, the kind of propaganda he used on former President Joe Biden to give him a blank check to fund proxy war with the Kremlin. Trump has told Zelensky that he’s no longer interested in funding proxy war with Russia and expects Zelensky to find alternative funding sources. Zelensky has already begged the EU for more cash-and-arms. How long that lasts is anyone’s guess. What known for sure is that Putin will keep the war going as long as it takes to wear down Ukraine and the EU. Trump concluded long ago that Zelensky cannot win a war with Russia’s superior military, meaning that every day that goes by, Russia destroys more of Ukraine’s infrastructure and takes more sovereign land.
EU leaders think that smacking Putin with more economic sanctions helps push him to a ceasefire and peace deal. But Putin doesn’t take well to coercion and will certainly push back against the EU. Trump has made clear to Putin that his top priority is improving U.S.-Russian relations after Biden spent four years destroying the relationship. Before Biden took office, the U.S. and Russia were global partners working on a host of cooperative ventures. Once Biden funded proxy war against the Kremlin, that was the end to U.S.-Russian relations. It’s taken a lot of skill and patience for Trump to work with Putin to win back trust. Putin no longer considers the U.S. his mortal enemy, transferring that reality to the EU. Before the Ukraine War, the EU has strong historic trading ties with the Russian Federation, buying some 25% of its oil and natural gas from Moscow. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel spent $12 billion building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline with Moscow.
So, when it comes to historic business ties, the EU was always more linked to the Russian Federation than the U.S. “The G7 remains committed to unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity and right to exist, and its freedom, sovereignty and independence toward a just and durable peace,” said a G7 communique. G7 officials have rubber stamped Zelensky’s language adopted by the EU that essentially tells Putin to get out of Ukraine. Putin has fought an over three-year conflict and has no intent of surrendering land captured during Zelensky’s three-year war. Zelensky’s conditions for a “just and durable peace” involves demanding that Putin withdraw all his forces from Ukraine. Zelensky has made sure that Trump’s plan of trading land-for-peace is all but dead now. EU and G7 officials think they can make unrealistic demands to bring about peace.
Trump knows that Putin has no intent of surrendering his captured territory in the over three years of war. Russia had made inordinate sacrifices of blood-and-treasure waging war with Ukraine and the Western Alliance. Putin knows that Trump no longer supports proxy war against the Kremlin, but sees the changing landscape with Europe and the G7. No one in the EU or G7 has committed to funding Zelensky’s war with the Kremlin. They all have many demands for Putin but no real plan for peace. Zelensky can keep the war going as long as the EU foots the bill, just like Biden did for three years. “If such a ceasefire is not agreed, we will continue to explore all possible options including options to maximize pressure such as further ramping up sanctions,” said the G7’s statement. Does Canada and Japan really plan to commit more cash-and-arms to Zelensky’s fight with Putin?
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
