Some in Europe are reported to be reeling after President Donald Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s speech at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels yesterday. Among other things, Hegseth had said that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is not realistic and that returning Ukraine to its 2014 borders is an “illusionary goal.” What has these Europeans so upset is that they feel left out of the process that has now been set into motion, that the future of Ukraine may be decided only by the U.S. and Russia.
“There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine. And Ukraine’s voice must be at the heart of any talks,” U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey told reporters at NATO headquarters, this morning, reported AP. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said: “For me, it’s clear … that Europe must be involved in the negotiations—and I think that’s very easy to understand,” particularly if Europe is “supposed to play a central or the main role in the peace order.” Europe, he said, “will have to live directly” with the consequences, so “it goes without saying that we must be part of the negotiations.”
This was echoed in a statement on Feb. 12 from the “Weimar+” group, which includes the governments of Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the European External Action Service (the EU diplomatic corps) and the European Commission. “We are ready to enhance our support for Ukraine,” it read, and pledged to “keep supporting Ukraine until a just, comprehensive and lasting peace is reached.” The statement demanded that “Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations,” and that “Ukraine should be provided with strong security guarantees”—neither of which appear to be on the table.
