Western leaders rally behind Ukraine as EU-US divide deepens after Trump’s policy shift
- 14 February, 14:33
The divide between Europe and the United States is deepening amid Washington’s policy shift over the war in Ukraine and Trump’s apparent concessions to Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday ruled out any peace negotiations that would exclude Ukraine, stressing that a “peace that is a capitulation” would be “bad news for everyone”, including the US.
“The only question at this stage is whether President Putin is genuinely, sustainably and credibly willing to agree to a ceasefire on this basis. After that, it’s up to the Ukrainians to negotiate with Russia,” Macron said in an interview with the Financial Times newspaper.
Macron’s comments come amid fears in Europe that Trump and Putin might negotiate the future of the continent without the consent of the European leaders and force Kyiv make negotiations in the peace talks to end the war.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also voiced concerns over Trump’s statement, specifically commenting on Ukraine’s NATO membership. In a phone conversation with Zelenskiy on Friday, Starmer said Ukraine remained on “an irreversible path” towards the North Atlantic alliance membership. According to a Downing Street readout of the phone call, Starmer stressed “the UK’s concrete support for Ukraine, for as long as it’s needed”.
“He was unequivocal that there could be no talks about Ukraine, without Ukraine. Ukraine needed strong security guarantees, further lethal aid and a sovereign future, and it could count on the UK to step up,” the statement reads.
Trump stunned Europe after his statement on Thursday that he and Putin had agreed to set negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Speaking in a White House press conference on Thursday, Trump said he trusted Putin’s assertions that he wanted peace. The US president also slammed the Biden administration for green lighting Ukraine’s NATO’s membership, saying that Kyiv’s NATO aspiration was the reason behind the nearly three years of war. Moreover, Trump said it was “unlikely” that Ukraine would win back all of its territories lost during the war. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at NATO summit on Thursday also ruled out Ukraine’s membership of the alliance and restoration of Crimea and other Russian-held territories.
Trump’s shocking remarks were also discussed by EU leaders during the Nato meeting in Brussels on Thursday. Addressing the summit, EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas insisted that no deal "behind our backs" could work, as she accused Washington of "appeasement" toward Russia.
