Europe eyeing Trumps push for Ukraine peace talks as potential offramp from war: report
European officials have come around to considering President-elect Donald Trump’s push for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, viewing it as a potential offramp to the costly conflict now approaching its third year.While European officials were concerned about Trump’s return to the White House given his opposition to providing more aid to Ukraine, his push to end the war with negotiations could spare Europe from having to make up for any gap in American aid, the Wall Street Journal reports.The president-elect has called for a diplomatic end to the fighting, adding that Russia should be allowed to keep the territory it has invaded, a condition Ukraine has said is unacceptable but that European officials may be open to conceding.
A diplomatic end to the war became more realistic following German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, their first talk in two years.During the conversation, Scholz urged Putin to enter negotiations with Ukraine aimed at ending the war, the most intense conflict the continent has seen since World War II.“The chancellor urged Russia to be willing to negotiate with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace and stressed Germany’s unwavering determination to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression for as long as necessary,” said Berlin spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
Following the call, the Kremlin said Russia has long been ready to end the war, but warned that any peace talks “should take into account the security interests of the Russian Federation” and “proceed from the new territorial realities.” It remains to be seen what is open for negotiations and what Europe would be capable of tackling should the incoming Trump administration pull all support for Kyiv’s army.Since the start of the war, Congress has pushed five bills aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s defenses to the tune of $175 billion, exceeding the $168 billion contribut...