LOS ANGELES (OC).–Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said he will back a new round of economic sanctions, concerned that it would increase the cost energy, already too high in Slovakia and the European Union. Fico had been an obstacle to passing the 19th round of economic sanctions, trying to get Putin to end the Ukraine War. Fico knows that President Donald Trump has stood on his head to get Putin to consider as ceasefire or pause in the air war to stop the bombardment of Ukraine’s civilian population and infrastructure. Putin wants more than that just a peace plan from the U.S. and EU, he wants to discuss the root causes of the Ukraine War, something he blames on NATO encroachment on the Russian Federation since the 1991 end to the Soviet Union. Putin uses Ukraine as an example of the Western Alliance putting unlimited lethal weapons on the Russian border.
When Putin’s right hand man, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday, he said that any peace settlement must deal with the root causes of the conflict and do something about it. Lavrov doesn’t buy that Russia should be threatened with more economic sanctions and long-range missiles if Putin doesn’t agree to an immediate ceasefire. Trump showed his frustration with the Ukraine War unable to make good on a campaign promise to end the war in 24 hours. Trump always made the point that he had good working relations with Putin and could find a solution to the crisis. What Trump missed was that Zelensky and the EU would oppose any peace plan that involves trading land for peace. EU leaders like French Presient Emmanuel Macron reject the idea of ceding Ukraine’s sovereign territory to the Kremlin.
Macron thinks that if Zelensky surrenders territory to Russia, he would invite Putin to eventually move the war front to parts of Europe like the Baltic States or Poland. Putin has never said he wants to go to war with NATO, only that he wants NATO to stop encroaching on Russian territory. Putin didn’t accept former President Joe Biden giving Ukraine unlimited cash-and-arms to battle the Kremlin. Trump stopped the U.S. backing Biden’s proxy war with the Kremlin but now can’t contain his frustration over resolving the conflict. Putin has redoubled his aerial bombardment of Ukraine, leaving the country in shambles. Zelenksy continues to lose sovereign territory but refuses to acquiesce to Putin’s demand to cede Donetsk and Luhansk to Russia, the same demand Putin made in March 2022. Zelensky could have avoided war if he would have agreed to Putin’s terms in March 2022.
Fico said he wants the EU to deal with more than the Ukraine War that dominates EU meetings, not improving the energy infrastructure to help industrialized countries and consumers. Fico complained “that the main topic at every EU summit is always Ukraine, Ukraine and Ukraine again,” Fico said, making his point that there’s more to the EU economy that just Ukraine. Fico was able to get his language inserted into the summit resolution. “In light of the negative impact of high energy prices on the global competitiveness of the European industries, on the Union’s strategic autonomy and on European households, the European Council call on the Commission to accelerate work aimed at lowering energy prices and suppor sustainable energy production in the Union,” Fico said, asking the EU to figure out without Russian how it’s supposed to have affordable energy.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen should stop calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “predator” and work with him to end the Ukraine War. Europe’s energy problems would be solved overnight if von der Leyen could figure out a peace formula that works for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin. So far, the EU has been counterproductive when it comes to ending the Ukraine War. They back Zelensky but don’t help Ukraine by keeping the war going. What good is supplying Ukraine unlimited cash-and-weapons when Zelensky keeps losing sovereign territory and destroying Ukraine infrastructure? Russia and Ukraine need to end the war to help solve the EU’s high energy costs. If von der Leyen were honest, she would recognize the importance to the EU of Russian energy, finding a way to end the war.
Whatever problems the EU has with high energy prices, they’ve brought it on themselves by failing to work with President Donald Trump to end the Ukraine War. Instead of funding proxy war with the Kremlin, the von der Leyen should work with Trump to find an equitable settlement to the war even if it means Ukraine forfeits certain sovereign territory. Keeping the war going is a colossal waste of money for the EU, draining the EU’s treasure. Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense for leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.K. Prime MInistre Keir Starmer to work with Trump and convince Zelensky to settle the conflict? Ending sanctioning and resuming Russia oil and natural gas sales to the EU would solve all their current energy problems. Keeping the war going is a drain on EU’s energy resources.
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.
