USA and Russia end the war in Ukraine: Europe, don't be afraid of peace

Berliner Zeitung USA and Russia end the war in Ukraine: Europe, don't be afraid of peace Simon Zeise • 1 hour • 2 minutes reading time The USA and Russia are negotiating peace for Ukraine. The governments in the European capitals are still paralyzed. For almost three years they have supported the Zelensky government in Ukraine with money and weapons. But suddenly the USA declares the war to be over soon, sits down at the negotiating table with the Russian government, dictates the conditions to the Europeans and bluntly tells the Ukrainian president that the goals for which the Ukrainian soldiers fought will not be achievable. It is not as if no one had foreseen this scenario. By the end of 2022, it was already clear to many experts - especially the American Chief of Staff Mark Milley - that Russia could not be defeated. A peace agreement was even very close in March 2022, but was ultimately blocked by the West during the negotiations in Istanbul. Now hundreds of thousands of people are dead in Ukraine and Ukraine has gained nothing. Trump is offering Russia Crimea, Donbass and a renunciation of NATO membership. He is doing good business in Ukraine: The USA is profiting from the privatization of real estate and agricultural land and wants access to raw materials such as rare earths. In addition, Trump is getting rid of an unpleasant domestic political issue with Ukraine and is easing the burden on the US economy by stopping aid payments to Kiev. One wonders what is more important: being an enemy or an ally of the USA? The Europeans are standing by in disbelief. Instead of finally being happy that the worst war in Europe since 1945 is coming to an end, they are insisting on unrealistic maximum demands. Ukraine is to be rearmed and Europe is to pay for reconstruction - just as Trump is demanding of them. But now would be the right time to emerge from the situation stronger. The American foreign policy magazine Foreign Policy offers tips and explains how European geostrategists such as Metternich, Talleyrand or De Gaulle would react today. First, the Europeans should convince the USA that they are prepared to leave NATO and thus at least lower the price of membership in the Western military alliance. Trump is demanding up to five percent, which would put a heavy burden on national budgets. "In contrast, the Europeans' insistence on remaining in NATO after Trump's provocative actions gives the world the impression that they are licking the boots that are kicking them in the face," says the leading American foreign policy magazine. In addition, the Europeans should enter into a strategic alliance with Russia in which "each side accommodates the core interests of the other." In the long term, after a certain strategic trust has been restored between Russia and Europe, Ukraine could serve as a "bridge" between the EU and Russia and not as a "bone of contention," Foreign Policy continues. "The Europeans foolishly believed that slavish loyalty to America's geopolitical priorities would bring them rich geopolitical dividends. Instead, they were dealt a slap in the face," the American foreign policy magazine concludes. The future of Europe and Ukraine on the old continent is not being discussed with such clarity. Peace plans are currently coming from the USA. When will "German Angst" finally end?