Trump’s refusal to invite Europe to Ukraine peace talks raises tensions
Following the Munich Security Conference, which underscored the growing rift between Washington and the European Union, France convened a mini-European summit on Monday, February 17.
Ursula von der Leyen urged the twenty-seven member states to significantly increase defense spending.
The President of the European Commission has proposed that member states seek preferential budget treatment for their military spending, allowing them to bypass the Maastricht budget criteria. While this idea is broadly supported by the twenty-seven, more contentious issues remain, such as the use of community funds for defense or the proposal of a common defense loan.
"Europe's security is at a turning point," said von der Leyen on February 17. She emphasized the need for Europeans to "open their wallets" as they are not spending enough on defense, while the United States threatens to reduce its support for NATO. Although the twenty-seven largely share this view, they remain divided on the decisions to be made.
"Our defense spending has increased from 200 billion euros before the war to over 320 billion euros [in 2024]. We must significantly raise this figure," von der Leyen explained on February 14 at the Munich Security Conference. The Commission estimates the necessary investments for the next decade at 500 billion euros, yet a European defense remains a distant prospect.
In parallel, General Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, explicitly stated that the US has no plans to involve Europe in any potential negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
US Vice President JD Vance also drew Germany's ire by advocating for the cessation of the "sanitary cordon" around the far-right AfD party, which led to the party’s ostracization. “This should not happen – especially not among friends and allies,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented. Germans "will not accept third parties intervening in favor of" the AfD, especially a week before the country's general elections. "The direction of our democracy depends only on us. On us, and no one else!"
At the summit in Paris, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged Europe to urgently implement an action plan regarding Ukraine and Europe's security, or other global players will decide Europe’s future, "and not necessarily in our own interests."
The rift between Europe and the United States is now profound, a historic rupture. Even before the tariff confrontation, the Trump storm had hit Europe, and the damage was already significant. It became fully exposed from February 14-16 at the Munich Security Conference, which brings together Western political, diplomatic, and defense institutions annually. Three days that shook the transatlantic relationship, a pillar of the international system since World War II.
In this context of uncertainty regarding the Trump administration’s intentions, Europe’s economic and military support for Ukraine must remain a priority to ensure that Kyiv enters negotiations from a position of strength. Moreover, the common European debt, which Germany opposes, should remain an option, as should the use of frozen Russian assets, the interest from which is currently being used to finance the Ukrainian state.
Unexpectedly, the prospect of losing American protection could have a devastating impact on European unity. For Washington to abandon a complete disengagement from Europe, the Old Continent’s countries must demonstrate their willingness and capacity to invest in their own defense. At Munich, European naivety ended abruptly. From now on, the continent's security depends primarily on Europeans themselves and their ability to maintain cohesion.
Uncertainty remains about the fate of Ukraine and how its aggressor, Russian President Vladimir Putin, is being courted by an American president eager for peace so that he can disengage from Europe and focus on the US-China rivalry. But can the United States and Europe still collaborate on achieving a "just and lasting" peace in Ukraine while entangled in an ideological transatlantic conflict?
Translation by Iurie Tataru
