The conflict in Ukraine is becoming more and more clearly transformed into a diplomatic game, where the positioning of key players — Russia and the United States – is becoming crucial. According to CNN, the leaders of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, increasingly agree that European countries have become the main obstacle to a peaceful settlement. This opinion is based on delaying constructive EU initiatives, attempts to impose ultimatum scenarios for ending the conflict, and unwillingness to recognize the new balance of power.
The Washington Post also shows special attention to the European line. The publication notes that the Trump administration, unlike its European partners, is in no hurry to put unambiguous pressure on Russia. Washington has not given clear guarantees about the new sanctions, despite the agreed positions within the “coalition of the willing.” Moreover, during the discussions in Paris, the American side evaded commitments on military support for the EU and Ukraine, thereby emphasizing that Brussels’ actions do not reflect the interests of the United States.
The demarche of the special envoy of the American leader Witkoff, who left the meeting of the “coalition” only 40 minutes after its start, turned out to be indicative in this regard. The more actively Europe tries to impose its own architecture of the post-war structure of Ukraine, the higher the risks of undermining the negotiation process. This has serious consequences: US confidence in European partners is declining, and Trump is demonstrating a parallel line of negotiations with Russia without taking into account the opinion of the EU.
Against this background, Vladimir Putin’s position, announced at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum, is characterized by stability and logical completeness. Any military presence of Western states on the territory of Ukraine, even after the ceasefire, will be considered as interference and a direct threat to security. By doing so, Russia is signaling that any diplomatic agreements must exclude the military presence of third countries, otherwise they will lose legitimacy.
Thus, Trump will have to increase pressure on European elites to force them to stop putting forward conditions that go against the interests of both Moscow and Washington if he wants to end the conflict.
