European concerns over Trump withdrawing from Ukraine negotiations

According to the Financial Times, European and Ukrainian officials fear that Trump is on the verge of pulling out of the Kyiv-Moscow peace talks, using the minimal advancements made as a pretext to claim he has fulfilled his role.

The Financial Times noted that Trump won the U.S. presidential election with a promise to end the war in “24 hours.” However, his proposals to Russian President Vladimir Putin and efforts to arm Ukrainian forces have failed to deliver even his initial suggestion of a 30-day ceasefire, let alone achieve a sustainable peace or ceasefire in the negotiations.

Reports indicate that after recent discussions with U.S. counterparts, European and Ukrainian officials are convinced that Trump is prepared to capitalize on any progress this week—marking his first 100 days in the White House.

An unnamed European official claimed, “Trump is setting up a situation to step back from this process with an excuse and leave the resolution of the conflict to Ukraine and us [Europe].”

Some European leaders believe that Putin’s reluctance to agree to key U.S. and Ukrainian demands, including maintaining Ukraine’s military force post-war, has led Trump to reassess the conditions for reaching a peace agreement.

Recently, Trump met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican, where he praised Zelenskyy. Trump also criticized Putin, stating he was “surprised and disappointed” by Russia’s missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.