Russian President Vladimir Putin may think he can sit back and enjoy the chaos of fraying US-Ukraine ties, but Europe is actually trying to step up, says international security expert Stefan Wolff.
Composite photo of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump and Russia n President Vladimir Putin . BIRMINGHAM: And the winner is … Vladimir Putin . If there were international affairs Oscars in the category of biggest return for no investment, the Russia n leader would have won it hands down, after the
This is worth bearing in mind, in light of discussions that Ukraine may need a different leader, one more committed to peace than winning back lost territory, as US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz suggested over the weekend. A different Ukrainian leader would still have to deal with the same US president.All eyes are now on Europe, where the near certainty of fundamentally altered transatlantic relations seems to have finally sunk in.
In Germany, where talks on forming a new government coalition are underway following the country’s Feb 23 elections, there is talk of a €400 billion defence fund. Other options include a European rearmament bank and a common European defence fund, both built around the “coalition of the willing” and thus likely able to circumvent traditionally cumbersome EU decision-making.
It may not come to this, at least not yet. But in light of how the Trump administration is treating all of its once-close allies and partners, such an outcome cannot be dismissed as a far-flung, improbable scenario.For now, Mr Putin may think that he can just sit back and enjoy the chaos. But part of what likely led to Mr Trump’s outbursts in the White House is the frustration in his relationship with the Kremlin.
United States Russia Europe Ukraine War Vladimir Putin Donald Trump
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