During the last couple of days (weeks), the leadership of the EU has proved, once again, that they are living in a parallel universe.
Endless intra-EU negotiations haven’t led to any tangible alternatives to the peace proposal(s) presented by President Trump, save for statements like ‘any credible and sustainable peace plan should first and foremost stop the killing and end the war, while not sowing seeds for a future conflict’ or ‘borders should not be changed by force’ and ‘Russia should not be awarded for the aggression’.
Let’s not forget the demand that [they] ‘must be held accountable for those crimes and that will be the approach of the European Union in all of these discussions’.
The counter-proposal they managed to put on the table is basically Trump’s 28-point plan amended with suggestions and a few deletions.
Latest news from the front suggest that restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity belongs more to the realm of fantasy than to realpolitik: Russian forces captured about 505 sq kilometers of Ukrainian territory this November alone – about twice as much as they gained in September. The fastest pace since 2022.
That’s not exactly pointing at Ukrainian advances to gain back at least parts of its territory.
The reality is that the longer the war continues, the more territory the country might lose – no matter how loudly Europe shouts the contrary.
Trump’s special representative to Ukraine, General Daniel Driscoll also made this clear, ‘there are cities and disputed territories that will pass into the hands of Russia, it’s only a matter of time. If we don’t recognize this, then the decision on the war must be weighed: how many lives are you willing to sacrifice? From now on, the situation will not improve, but worsen’.
Vice President JD Vance also didn’t mince his words when he said ‘there is a fantasy that if we just give more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, victory is at hand. Peace won’t be made by failed diplomats or politicians living in a fantasy land’.
The EU wouldn’t budge – but is unable to come up with something on its own.
If anything, it’s as divided as ever before. Though urging Belgium to agree to use frozen Russian assets to fill the bottomless pot called ‘Ukrainian budget’, they rejected Belgian demands to offer financial guarantees would Russia demand compensation.
The alternative, issuing more EU debt to cover the amount missing from Kyiv’s coffers, is rather unpopular. Even Ukraine’s steadfast supporter Poland is vary, because ‘it cannot be the case that Europe ends up paying for what Russia has done’ – exposing the limits of European support for Ukraine.
Alas, right now, this lack of unity, combined with the lack of a solid and realistic alternative plan, makes the EU sound more like a toddler in the ‘terrible twos’: saying no even to things that are in his best interest.
No wonder that Putin accuses Ukraine’s European allies with ‘hindering the U.S.-led peace proposal talks’ by pushing for demands that are ‘absolutely unacceptable to Russia’ and ‘have blocked the entire peace process’, though they ‘have no peaceful agenda’.
Unsurprisingly, Chancellor Merz might demand Europe needed to be a part of any peace process, Washington also mostly tries to put the bothersome continent to the sidelines when it comes to peace talks – why listen to someone who can only demand victory and nothing less, unwilling to accept that in spite of the billions of dollars poured on the country, not to mention the brave and heroic fight of the Ukrainian army, the country is mired in a war that it very likely cannot win.
While the European leaders are debating how to prolong the conflict, Ukrainian people are dying – unfortunately, very likely for nothing.
