Russia-Ukraine War After 3-Yr Spurs US-Europe Disengagement
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Friedrich Merz (Image credit X.com)
Trump’s ‘Land-For-Peace Deal’ Turning Point in Post-Cold War Geopolitics
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, February 24: Ukraine now looks askance at Europe while US presses ahead with a deal with Russia. Three years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the US now looks certain to tear apart the post-Cold War marriage with Europe.
Friedrich Merz, winner of parliamentary elections in Germany, succinctly summed up the mood in Europe. “My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that we can achieve, step by step, real independence from the US,” said Merz after winning the Sunday elections in Germany.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday showered praise on US President Donald Trump. After a quick hour-long phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the US is racing ahead to bring curtains on the Ukraine War.
A unilateral resolution in the United Nations Security Council has been scheduled to quickly end the Ukraine War. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had received a customary call from Trump. But thereafter, Zelenskyy is unwanted in the Russia-US bonhomie for all the practical purposes.
Britain’s World recalled former US Defence Secretary Robert Gates in 2011, saying: “If current trends in the decline of European defense capabilities are not halted and reversed, future US political leaders – those for whom the Cold War was not the formative experience that it was for me – may not consider the return on America’s investment in NATO worth the cost.”
Trump left Ukraine in no doubt during the campaign trails for the November elections that he wouldn’t be pouring the American dollars for the war efforts. Trump lived up to his words and has made it ample clear that no more funding will flow for the Ukraine War.
But Europe is pooling military aides for Ukraine. Germany and other nations are taking initiatives to help Ukraine stand up to Russia. That Ukraine defied the Russian might for three years seemingly offer a glimmer of hope to Europe that Putin can be stopped from pursuing expansionism.
TRT World in a commentary quoted Yasar Sari of Haydar Aliyev Eurasian Research Center of Ibn Haldun University, saying: “Kiev will not make an agreement that would force Ukraine to surrender to Russia. Ukraine has been able to defend its territory against Russia, which has one of the world’s biggest armies, giving Zelenskyy more reason to stand up to Trump.”
James Rogers and Paul Mason sought to gauge dilemma of the UK amid Trump bid to force a deal on Ukraine. They wrote in Britain’s World that “though there are still a wide range of geopolitical outcomes, in the worst-case scenario, Trump may attempt to negotiate with Putin over the heads of Ukraine, Britain and the key European powers, while withdrawing support for Ukraine’s resistance, in order to compel Kyiv into accepting the American line”.
They argued that Trump “may then threaten to reduce the American military commitment to Europe to force London, Warsaw, Berlin and Paris into accepting the new reality”.
While Europe is also girding up for the ugly outreach of Trump administration in Greenland, three years of high inflation dented economy of major powers. Incumbent governments in Germany and the UK lost powers. France is facing outcome of a fractured electoral mandate.
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