Top meeting in Brussels: Concerns about Ukraine: Europeans are preparing for Trump

A month before Donald Trump takes office as US President, the EU is preparing to take on significantly more responsibility for Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. At a summit in Brussels on Thursday, the question was how the country could be able to lead possible peace negotiations with Moscow from a position of strength.

Against the background of the difficult military situation in the east of the country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj asked the EU states in Brussels for additional air defense systems that can also be used to protect nuclear power plants and gas storage facilities. He also called for joining new French plans for an international troop presence in Ukraine. It is crucial that Europe makes a significant contribution to security guarantees for his country, Zelensky said in a speech to participants at an EU summit in Brussels. He didn’t give any details. It was considered likely that he referred to considerations for a peacekeeping force to secure a possible ceasefire. A troop presence for military training programs for the Ukrainian armed forces was also conceivable.

He also urged partners to support his country in setting up shelters in schools and helping to provide food for families.

Fear of forced peace

The background to the talks in the EU and among European NATO states is the concern that Donald Trump, as US President, could try to pressure Ukraine and Russia into negotiations. There are fears in Kiev that he could threaten Ukraine to stop military aid if it refuses. Trump recently announced that he wanted to end Russia’s war against Ukraine as quickly as possible. In this context, the Europeans also ask themselves whether they would send peacekeepers to Ukraine to secure a ceasefire if the worst came to the worst.

Zelensky painted a bleak picture in the event that the US stopped supporting it entirely: “It is very difficult to support Ukraine without US help, and that is exactly what we will discuss with President Trump when he is in the White House is,” he said in Brussels. “I believe only together can the United States and Europe truly stop Putin and save Ukraine.”

Scholz sees good opportunities for cooperation with Trump

For the EU, it is therefore also a matter of convincing Trump that continued support for Ukraine is also in the interests of the USA. For weeks it has been pointed out again and again that a victory for Russia would also strengthen its ally China. China sees Trump as the US’s main competitor.

At the EU summit, Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his confidence that good cooperation between the USA and Europe would also be possible under Trump. With regard to efforts to end the war, he reiterated that there should be no decisions made over the heads of Ukrainians. “That applies to us as it does to everyone else.”

Scholz called for unity. It must be clear that one is prepared to provide Ukraine with support for as long as it is needed. Scholz said that he had urged his alliance partners to consider further help with air defense, artillery or ammunition. For Germany, he promised: “We will continue to be Ukraine’s biggest supporter in Europe.” The promised or delivered military equipment alone would be worth 28 billion euros.

EU without a uniform line

However, it is highly questionable whether there can be the unity demanded by Scholz: Hungary, one of the member states, also supports Trump’s policies. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has so far refused to provide further military support to Ukraine. It must therefore be expected that he will block possible new plans to expand EU support with a veto. Almost seven billion euros in EU funds cannot currently be used because of Hungary’s stance.

Orban had also recently called for a Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia and claimed that Russia was ready to agree to such a proposal. Zelensky said that Orban had no mandate to organize negotiations with Putin.

Confidential discussions with the NATO Secretary General

Before the talks at EU level, there had already been confidential talks within the NATO framework late on Wednesday evening. In addition to Scholz, the heads of state and government of Poland, Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands took part in a meeting organized by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Zelenskyj, the foreign ministers from France and Great Britain as well as EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa were also there.

It remained unclear whether and, if so, how specifically the talks also discussed the possible deployment of peacekeepers to secure a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. In this context, Rutte also warned against major public debates about a possible deal between Ukraine and Russia. “When we now discuss among ourselves what such an agreement could look like, we are making it easy for the Russians. They sit relaxed in their armchairs, listen to our discussions, smoke a cigar with pleasure and watch it all on television,” he said. “I don’t think that’s helpful.”

Rutte added that in democracies it is of course inevitable to discuss these things openly. From his point of view, however, it would be wise to “curb things down a bit” and concentrate on what’s important – i.e. making Zelensky and Ukraine so strong that they could start talks with the Russians if they themselves thought it was right.