Europe unites against Donald Trump for peace in Ukraine and ratifies its support for Volodimir Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was received by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the European future in the face of the conflict. A gloomy and worrying atmosphereafter Donald Trump’s statements and the conviction that Europe has been left alone with Ukraine.

Ukraine is under pressure from Russia, Donald Trump and its own logistics to continue the war if talks do not progress. It needs Europe and Europe needs Ukraine for its own security.

Putin threatens immediate war in Europe, even though he knows NATO will demolish him if there is an attack. Then he talked about the nuclear threat again this week and Europe is terrified by that possibility. Poland builds shelters and trenches.

In this context, Trump has launched a new security strategy, which prioritizes fostering resistance in Europe to restore the continent’s former greatness and It feels closer to Russia than to its European allies.

The strategy expresses concern that, within a few decades at the latest, certain NATO members will become largely non-European. The document presents the Europeans as NATO’s weak point and questions the alliance with them and their ideological differences.

Faced with the failure of the peace meeting in Russia, Trump insisted that Putin has a desire to end the conflict. But Europe does not believe him and prepares for war.

The German Friedrich Merz forgot about any cajoling to please Donald Trump, as is the methodology of the leaders of European countries and NATO to confront Trump’s narcissistic diplomacy. He was very direct when he spoke at Downing St.

Merz was the only leader who mexplicitly expressed his “skepticism” to some of the American proposals on Ukraine and Europe.

It may not sound entirely surprising given the current context and the evolution of his opinions on the matter in recent months. But Merz is a politician who for decades was one of the most fervent defenders of the transatlantic relationship. Now, it seems, has increasing doubts about the Trump administration.

Merz was the most pro-American politician in Germany. His change could be historic for Europe. Germany is one of the few European countries with the money to maintain the war in Ukraine, to consolidate a European military project.

Germany is “skeptical” of some American proposals, Merz said. But Europe “has cards in its hand,” said French President Macron.

The somber tone of the opening words was very telling. This was not just a photo opportunity, designed to express solidarity with Zelensky, but that they face urgent problems, increasingly urgent, that must be resolved soon.

The four leaders have made it very clear that they are in a difficult situation, but that they desperately need to maintain the support of Americans, no matter how difficult it may be. It is not surprising that it was Zelensky who insisted the most on this point.

Macron’s criticism of the US administration, stating that Europe has “many cards in its hand”a clear reference to Trump’s explosive comments to Zelensky in February, was also notable. It seems to show their frustration and desire, or even demand, to be seen by the United States and Russia as equal partners. It will be interesting to see if they can find something that makes Washington and Moscow stand up and take notice.

At the opening, Starmer, from the United Kingdom, emphasized the need for a just peace agreement and lasting for Ukraine.

In response, Zelensky thanked Starmer for organizing the meeting.. He stated that it is an important time to address all “sensitive” issues.

He spoke about the importance of unity between Europe, Ukraine and the United States. Zelensky stated that there are things that “we cannot manage without the Americans… We cannot manage without Europe.”

Until now, the United States continues to sell weapons to NATO, which buys them and delivers them to Ukraine. But until when is the great concern?

Macron stated that “we all support Ukraine and peace,” while saying that “we have a lot of cards in our hands,” as he discussed options for Europe and Russia’s increasingly hard-hit economy.

He pointed out the need for find a way to bring Europe and the United States together to agree on the way forward.

The German Merz stated that “these could be decisive days” for “everyone” in relation to Ukraine.

He mentioned the peace talks led by the United States. He stated that “we strongly support and will continue to support Ukraine,” while saying that “the destiny of this country is the destiny of Europe.”

He was “skeptical” about “some details of the documents from the American side” and said that is what he wants to talk to other leaders about. The talks then continued behind closed doors.

Sir Keir Starmer praised Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine, despite the president’s claim that European leaders They have “unrealistic expectations” about the conflict. Everyone knows that Trump’s intention is to eliminate the security guarantees that Europe demands for Ukraine.

Ukraine suggested that some elements of the US plan required further debate on a number of “sensitive issues”, such as security guarantees from kyiv’s allies and the future of regions claimed by Russia.

“There are visions of the United States, Russia and Ukraine, and “We do not have a unified vision on Donbas.”Zelensky told Bloomberg News, referring to Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. He added that kyiv was pushing for a separate agreement on security guarantees from Western allies, especially the United States.

Starmer declined to criticize Trump. “You can never get from conflict to peace in an easy and direct way. It is always a complex issue, but I think we are making progress. I think what President Trump has achieved in recent weeks, getting here, has been the furthest we have come in the last four years. And therefore, I pay tribute to him for that, and I hope that we can continue to move forward this afternoon,” he assured.

Starmer stated that any peace agreement should include rigorous security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent Putin from resuming the war. “It is important to keep in mind that this conflict has been going on for almost four years, that Russia is the aggressor, and therefore, if a ceasefire is wanted, it must be fair – as Ukraine has suffered heavy losses and has paid a very high price for a war it did not cause – but it must also be durable, because we know that Putin does not respect agreements that do not have rigorous security guarantees, and that is what we will focus on.”

Zelensky’s visit to London comes after his officials concluded three days of talks with their American counterparts on proposals, as the White House pressures kyiv to accept a deal.

Over the weekend, Zelensky said he had discussed “next steps” with Trump’s advisers and was “determined to continue working in good faith.”

“He may be right. However, the negotiators also recognized that any “real progress” would depend “on Russia’s willingness to show a serious commitment to long-term peace,” he explained.

Ukraine and its European allies are likely to insist that any ceasefire include security guarantees from both the US and the “coalition of the willing” called by the UK and France, while resisting the transfer of territory to Russia.

Starmer has reiterated that Ukraine determines its own futurewhile one of its senior ministers declared on Sunday that the country must not be left “powerless” vis-à-vis Russia.

Russia has repeatedly rejected the possibility of allied troops being stationed in Ukraine and continues to demand large swaths of Ukrainian territory in exchange for peace.

Moscow’s forces continued their attack on Ukraine over the weekend. At least four people were killed in drone and missile strikes on Sunday, as Moscow continues to attack Ukrainian infrastructure in an attempt to “weaponize” the cold by denying civilians access to heat and electricity.