Vladimir Putin refused to pause all fighting during his telephone conversation with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, but did agree to a partial ceasefire, halting strikes on energy infrastructure targets. Yet many officials in Europe watched on with folded arms, conspicuously unimpressed by this step forward—small, perhaps, yet bigger than they have been able to achieve.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the readouts of the call made it “clear that Russia does not really want to make any kind of concessions,” adding that Kremlin demands “can’t be accepted.” Where, then, do we go from here?
Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen was also careful not to praise Trump’s efforts, simply saying “We hope that yesterday’s phone call is progress in this direction”—that is, towards a “just and lasting peace.”
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius was less careful with his words, mocking what he described as “this supposedly ground-breaking, great phone call,” a blatant jibe at Trump saying the conversation was “very good and productive.”
Perhaps these officials were stung that the Russian readout of the 90-minute call focussed mainly on a Moscow-Washington—not a Moscow-Brussels—‘reset.’ They also can’t have been too impressed by Zelensky’s statement on Wednesday that “the United States should be the main controlling entity” monitoring the partial ceasefire, despite the formation of a European ‘coalition of the willing.’ Maybe JD Vance was right after all.
This snub also helps to underline the argument made by retired Austrian general staff officer Günther Greindl, who said this week that Brussels’ preference for “war rhetoric” over “diplomacy” since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine meant the conflict will be ended by Trump and Putin “without the cooperation of the EU.”
In what appears to be an attempt to remain relevant during peace talks that are taking place elsewhere, six EU member states this week called on Brussels to speed up Ukraine’s accession to the bloc. And in a further sign of where European diplomacy is heading, Poland and the Baltic states have announced they are planning to withdraw from an international treaty banning anti-personnel landmines, citing the threat from Russia.
A very different note from that of the Brussels-based EU leaders was struck in a statement from Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, who said the call had already helped to make the world “a safer place.”
German Green MEP Daniel Freund responded by effectively—and unoriginally—branding Szijjártó a Kremlin mouthpiece.
Even the UK, which has been at the forefront of calls for the deployment of European troops in Ukraine, refused to join in with those pouring cold water on these developments, welcoming the “progress” made by Trump.
And in Italy, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini praised the “wonderful news” of this “conciliatory” conversation, marking an
incredible step forward, in the hours in which a certain Europe speaks of weapons and war.
Since the telephone call, both Russia and Ukraine have accused one another of countering efforts to end the conflict by firing at energy infrastructure targets.
Zelensky will speak to Trump later today, on Wednesday. Russia has also said that a date is already being set for the next call between Trump and Putin.
