U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged European Union member states and their allies to work towards a “lasting peace” and end the war in Ukraine. This means Europe must both commit tangible resources to the goal and show clear political resolve.
This renewed pressure from the Trump administration came in a meeting between Rubio and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Thursday, May 1st. According to Rubio, President Donald Trump remains committed to ending the “senseless bloodshed.” The two met in Washington for talks—described as centred upon advancing “on the path toward peace in Ukraine.”
Barrot disclosed that the EU is preparing a fresh round of sanctions against Russia, while a smaller portion of the meeting was given over to issues of Middle East peace.
Although Washington is pursuing its own approach to the war, such as the recent minerals pact, it also aims to cooperate with European partners. At the same time, however, Rubio is also critical of them, stating, “It’s clear that words are not enough.”
Rubio’s comments follow weeks of European grandstanding, with next to no tangible benefits for Ukraine. More committed, formally, to a military solution than Trump, Brussels officials keep letting slip that their various preferred versions of a European “not peacekeeping but reassurance” force are totally unrealistic. Indeed, domestic reporting points to the decrepit state of national armed forces—alongside a rapidly shrinking civilian martial spirit.
