EU leaders insist no decision can be made on Ukraine without Ukraine

(): European Union leaders insisted on Thursday that no decision could be made on the future of war-ravaged Ukraine without its consent or behind the backs of its European partners, barely a month before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Ukraine’s position is precarious after more than 1,000 days of war. Russia continues to advance on the battlefield, gradually pushing the front line westward despite heavy losses. Ukraine’s energy network is in tatters and military recruits are hard to find.

In a show of solidarity at a summit in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, many European leaders repeated a variation of what has become a common mantra: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, nothing about security in Europe without Europeans.

Trump returns to the White House on January 20 after promising to quickly end the war in Ukraine and discussing his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many Europeans fear this could result in a bad deal for Ukraine.

The other big worry is that Putin will use any interregnum to rearm and provoke more conflict. Rumors are swirling in Europe about possible peace talks in early 2025 and whether European peacekeepers might be needed to enforce a settlement, but leaders are trying to keep quiet about the speculation about what they are prepared to do, in order not to tip their policy. hand to Russia.

The priority now, they say, must be to strengthen Ukraine’s hand, if Zelensky decides it is time to negotiate.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was important to “guarantee long-term aid to Ukraine – it must be clear that we are ready to provide support for as long as it is needed.” Air defense, artillery and munitions are at the top of the list, he told reporters. Asked about Trump, Scholz said his impression from speaking with the president-elect “is that good cooperation between Europe and the United States is possible.” He said that “the principle is always this: no decisions above the heads of Ukrainians, and that of course means above those of European states.”

Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden had a similar message.

“We must stand with Ukraine, and every step… must be taken with Ukraine and in the presence of the European Union. The future of Ukraine is decided in Europe and not elsewhere,” he said.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof stressed that Ukraine must be the country that “determines under what conditions negotiations can possibly take place.” And it’s not our place to talk about it. So far, Ukraine has not yet indicated that it is ready to do so.”

It is difficult to predict what Trump might do and whether history might be a reliable guide.

Under his previous presidency, in 2020, the United States signed an agreement on a military withdrawal from Afghanistan directly with the most powerful actor – the Taliban insurgents – mainly downplaying the concerns of the Afghan government and president.

The chaotic 2021 exit, ultimately ordered by US President Joe Biden, humiliated Washington and its NATO allies as the Afghan security forces they had trained for years and invested billions in collapsed. collapsed and the Taliban took power.

In Ukraine, the 27-nation EU has provided at least as much support – more than 180 billion euros ($187 billion) since Russia began its full invasion almost three years ago – than the United States. can likely continue to prop up Ukraine’s ravaged economy, the EU is almost certainly unlikely to be able to provide the military support the country’s armed forces would need to prevail. “From the beginning of next year, we need great unity between the United States, the EU and European countries,” Zelensky told reporters at the summit. “Only together can the United States and Europe stop Putin and save Ukraine. » “It is very difficult to support Ukraine without American assistance,” he said.