To begin with, the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer – who, in all things Ukraine, brought the UK back to the heart of Europe after the trauma of Brexit – held a four-way meeting with Zelensky this Monday in London; the French president, Emmanuel Macron; and the German Chancellor, Frédéric Merz.
Afterwards, the Ukrainian president traveled to Brussels for a working dinner with the NATO Secretary General, Marc Rutte; the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; and the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa. Previously, a video conference of the countries of the “coalition of the willing” took place.
This wave of diplomatic efforts comes after the American president once again expressed his impatience with Zelensky, whom he accuses of not having read his latest peace proposal, which contrasts with a much more understanding attitude towards Zelensky. Vladimir Putin.
“I’m a little disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t read the proposal yet (…) His people love him, but not him. Russia is doing well. I guess Russia would prefer to keep the whole country, right? But hey, I think Russia agrees with that, although I’m not sure Zelensky agrees with that,” Trump said on Sunday.
His controversial new national security strategy argues that “It is in the fundamental interest of the United States to negotiate a rapid cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.in order to stabilize European economies, prevent unwanted escalation or expansion of the war, and restore strategic stability with Russia. »
“The Trump administration is in conflict with European officials who unrealistic expectations about warbacked by unstable minority governments, many of which flout fundamental principles of democracy to suppress opposition. “A large majority of Europeans want peace, but this desire is not translated into policy, largely because of the subversion of democratic processes by these governments,” the text says.
European leaders have already decided to rewrite the 28-point peace plan that Washington circulated at the end of November and which was interpreted in Brussels as a attempt to force the total surrender of Ukrainesince this forced him to cede the entire Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of his army.
The latest version of the plan – the contents of which are not known – is less damaging for kyiv, according to diplomatic sources. However, certain central questions (such as those linked to territorial transfers) remain open.
“I am skeptical about some of the details that appear in some US documentsbut we have to talk about it,” Merz admitted in London.
“We are – and continue to be – firmly on Ukraine’s side, supporting their country. Because we all know that the destiny of this country is the destiny of Europe“, the German Chancellor told Zelensky in a joint statement to the press.
“Ukraine must decide Ukrainian affairs. We are here to support you in the conflict and in the negotiations,” Starmer agreed.
In a zasca directed against Trump, who has repeatedly declared that kyiv does not have a card to win the war, Macron declared that “we have many cards in our hands”.
The French president affirmed that “Ukraine continues to resist in this war”, while “the Russian economy begins to suffer“The priority now is to achieve “convergence” between the position of the EU and Ukraine, on the one hand, and that of Trump, on the other hand, he recognizes.
Zelensky also called for “unity” between the EU, Ukraine and the United States and announced that the Europeans could have finalized this Tuesday their own final version of the peace plan to be negotiated with Washington.
“There are things we cannot manage without the Americansthings that we cannot manage without Europe, and that is why we have to make important decisions,” declared the Ukrainian president, admitting the difficult balances he must face.
For their part, the heads of state and government of the Nordic and Baltic countries sent a joint letter to Von der Leyen and Costa this Monday in which they support the sending of frozen Russian funds to Ukraine.
“Given the current scale and urgency of Ukraine’s budgetary and military needs, we strongly support the Commission’s proposal for a ‘repair loan’ financed from the cash balances of Russian assets tied up in the EU,” the letter said.
“In addition to being the most financially viable and politically realistic solutionmeets the fundamental principle of Ukraine’s right to receive compensation for damage caused by aggression,” say the leaders of Poland, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Ireland.
With this “reparations loan”, the EU has “the opportunity to place Ukraine in a stronger position to defend itself and in a better position to negotiate a just and lasting peace”. “Time is running out,” concludes the joint letter, which calls for the adoption of a decision at the summit on December 18.
President von der Leyen also defended sending frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. “We all know what’s at stake and we know we don’t have any more time to waste. Obtaining financial support will help ensure Ukraine’s survival and is a crucial act for European defense.“, he said.
“As Ukraine engages in genuine diplomatic efforts for peace, Russia repeatedly deceives and stallsmocking diplomacy and increasing attacks while pretending to seek peace. Today, this facade remains solidly standing. But we will not fall into the trap: we know who is the aggressor and who is the victim in this war,” says the German.
“Giving Ukraine the resources it needs to defend itself does not prolong the war; it can help put an end to it,” says the head of community diplomacy, Kaja Kallas.
However, Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever continues to veto the use of Russian assets – which are in financial services company Euroclearbased in Brussels – for fear that Russia will focus all reprisals on its country.
De Wever had a working dinner last Friday with President Von der Leyen and Chancellor Merz, from whom no agreement emerged to release the “reparations loan” to Ukraine. EU actions to support Kyiv fall short of its promises.
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