anThe emergency summit conference held in major European NATO countries and London, Canada ended on March 2 with a broad agreement that Europe must contribute to the challenge of securing and defending a fair peace agreement in Ukraine. However, there are few details provided.
After a horrifying scene at the White House on February 28th, the rushed and expanded summit was a sense of urgency after Volodymyr Zelensky was subjected to persistent verbal abuse by Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. The number of participating countries was swollen to the heads of NATO and the European Union, and to the heads of President Zelensky.
British Prime Minister Kiel chaired the conference and in order of priorities, Kiel, who experienced a more compatible visit to Washington on February 27, was to ensure European commitment to protecting Ukraine while restoring the bridge between Europe and the United States.
The US President Kiel had argued before the summit began, and was committed to a lasting peace agreement in Ukraine, as he and other European leaders gathered. However, he omitted whether the type of peace agreement developed by Trump could be accepted by either Ukraine or Europe. The meeting ended about two hours after agreeing to the principles. However, if they had been agreed, no details would be shared.
Speaking from the airport as he left England, Mr. Zelensky struck a rebellious note. Ukraine needs security guarantees, he said, and without them the ceasefire would be in vain. He refused to give Ukraine facial concessions, which had withdrawn sanctions on the territory or on Russia.
The proposals approved at the conference were originally led by the UK and France and were aimed at European countries that would cooperate with Ukraine in a plan to stop the fighting. It consists of four pillars. Military aid should continue to flow to Ukraine, shattering the war and increasing economic pressure on Russia. Ukraine must be at the table to negotiate peace, and lasting peace must ensure its sovereignty and security. Third, after the peace contract is handed down, Europe will continue to improve Ukraine’s defensive capabilities. And finally, European troops, driven by a coalition of will, will deploy to Ukraine to stop Russian invasion. If Vladimir Putin is seduced to test his resolve, the American military muscles need to be behind it.
At that last point, a plan could be created. Sir Kiel pushed hard for America’s drive, not painfully realising that Emmanuel Macron, who saw the US president earlier this week when he visited Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, and that the European army was so vulnerable. But they essentially left nothing. Ir Kiel says he later spoke with Trump and hinted at his encouragement, but skepticism about this is going well.
Ir Kiel and other European leaders, especially Zelensky, believe that the commitments Putin has concluded are likely to be broken whenever it suits him, but Trump appears to consider him completely reliable.
Trump told Macron that the Russian president is completely thriving with the idea of deploying European forces in Ukraine. “I asked him specifically about that question. That’s fine.” The claim was quickly rejected by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who said it would “fuel the conflict further.”
Despite the hopes expressed after the London Summit, the possibility of European plans leads to peace agreements that Ukraine or Russia can accept.
The dangers in Ukraine and Europe are far too clear. Trump had not allowed Zelensky to not want to come up with dirt on the Biden family in 2019 after his encounter with Trump that led to his first blast each. Nor is it possible that he will overcome his frustration at the Ukrainian president’s stubbornness during talks over the mineral trade he later hankered and his “disrespect” when he challenged Vance. Combining it with the belief declared regime, it is a time in the past that Europe is responsible for its own security, and a complete reduction in US military support for Ukraine is far too possible.
If American aid is cut off, the first pillar of the star plan that Ukraine should turn into an “iron porcupine” just as Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, should focus on Europe, should turn Ukraine into an “iron porcupine.” The challenges are substantial, but not impossible. First of all, Europe can afford to pay more. Most of Scandinavian and Eastern Europe contribute between 1-2.5% of GDP, while Germany and the UK allocate less than 0.2% (almost the same as the US), while France, Spain and Italy manage about half of that.
There is a lot of work going on about relaxing debt regulations on EU defence spending, establishing the European Defense Fund using the bond market, and reprotective banks modelled on the European Bank for reconstruction and development. Europe will need to find a lot of money for its own re-contract, but the immediate priority is to keep Ukraine in the fight.
It also has 210 billion euros ($218 billion) of Russian assets frozen in European banks. Isle John Chipman of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, a think tank, says Europe should seize frozen Russian assets and use them to rebuild Ukraine’s military and civilian infrastructure. “It would give Ukraine the means to purchase the most advanced military equipment available.”
More cash could be invested in Ukraine’s defense industry bases. During the Soviet era, there was a strong arms industry and the course was to once again become a defence manufacturing power. Denmark has pioneered an approach in which other European countries are funding contracts between the Ukrainian government and local arms manufacturers.
Zelensky argues that around 40% of the needs of his country’s battlefields are met through domestic production. It is often a joint venture with Western defense companies such as Germany’s Rheinmetall and Franco-German’s KNDS. Strategist Sir Lawrence Friedman makes this figure even higher. The Ukrainian defense company focuses on producing drones, electronic warfare systems and artillery in all shapes and sizes.
Still, even with more cash, there will be problems even if America leaves. The European defence industry is expanding, but it is not quick enough to fill the major capacity gap. Buying from the shelves may not be an easy fix. Korea makes the kinds of kits that Ukraine needs. However, much of its production has been allocated to either Poland or the country’s military, which have been signed with contracts worth $16 billion since 2022.
Buying from the US may appeal to the infamous deal Trump. But Kiel Giles, author of Who Will Be Advocated for Europe, warns that if Trump accused Ukraine of blocking precious peace deals, he might refuse export permits for American companies or restrict demand on the ability of weapons to be sold. Europe finds it very difficult to fill that gap, so it’s not surprising that Ir Kiel and Macron continue their efforts to build the bridge.■
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