Hand of Donald Trump. They run faster than Volodymyr Zelensky. The final bell rings on Thursday: itUkraine he must sign or reject the 28-point peace plan created by the American president.
A plan that Kiev could not digest, as it gave Russia more than they had already conquered on the field. But this could not be digested by Europe which started work in Johannesburg, between a G20 break and another G20 break. Is there time? Maybe yes, if you listen to Trump who from the Oval Office, shortly before picking up a golf club and taking half a day off, responded to journalists like this: «The war must end at all costs. Is my application final? NO”.
RACE AGAINST TIME
A glimmer of light. Europe in dire straits is trying to exploit it. The “Willing” group gathered in the morning in a room at the Nasrec Expo Center. Giorgia Meloni sat between Canada’s Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron. They will be in South Africa to talk about climate, social justice and innovation. But Ukraine’s emergency is once again taking center stage. In a joint statement, European countries took aim at Trump’s plans. They were partly open to the American President’s diplomatic attacks. They acknowledged that the draft agreement drawn up in Washington includes “important elements” – such as American security guarantees for Ukraine – that “will be essential for a just and lasting peace”. They explained that “the draft is a basis that requires additional efforts” and they pledged “to coordinate so that future peace is truly sustainable”.
Enthusiasm dies down here. And here began the concerns that affected all European chancelleries dealing with Trump’s ultimatum. There were two “critical” points that Meloni himself underlined at the summit. Very generous territorial concessions admitted by America to Russia: “Our principle is clear that borders cannot be changed by force” Volenterosi noted.
SECOND COUPLE
And here’s the second point: «We are concerned about proposed restrictions on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to new attacks». The White House proposed limiting Ukraine’s army to 600,000 troops. For European countries, these figures are too low: “Without strong deterrence, Russia will return” admitted Macron on the sidelines of the meeting.
Meloni weaves the Italian net. Meet Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa in person. In the closed session of the summit, he actually supported Europe’s stance. He knew that Ukraine would never accept the implementation the United States was demanding. But let’s look at the glass as half full: «In three and a half years a diplomatic window like this has never opened», that was the meaning of the speech addressed to the allies. As if to say: this is not the time to abandon negotiations, with the risk that Trump will do the same, it is time to negotiate.
European countries will do so today, along with Ukraine and America. It was in Zurich, in neutral Switzerland, where an emergency summit of the EU’s main national security advisers was held to try to finalize the plan. It was born as a limited meeting of the E3: Germany, France, England. Italy will also be there – thanks to the intervention of Meloni and Ursula von der Leyen – along with Palazzo Chigi’s diplomatic advisor, Fabrizio Saggio. The Ukrainian delegation in Switzerland is large, led by Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s most trusted adviser. The American team is no exception: Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff will be at the table. The essence of negotiation is in the details. Which details are unacceptable: Europe – and also the Italian government – considers, for example, Trump’s demand for the disbursement of 100 billion euros from the EU for the reconstruction of Ukraine, which would be added to funds from frozen Russian assets, unacceptable.
LAST WINDOW
But the real issue to be resolved is Trump’s diktat regarding handing over Ukrainian territory to Moscow, starting with the entire Donbass. “Wars cannot be ended by great powers controlling the countries involved” said Chancellor Merz of South Africa. All major European countries stood firm on this in Johannesburg, which will hold a new confrontation tomorrow at the EU-Africa summit in Angola, while another video call by Volenterosi is scheduled for Tuesday. Confluence river, before the curtain rises on Thursday.
In a joint statement on the sidelines of the G20 summit, European countries emphasized the real heart of negotiations with America: security guarantees. That is, a written agreement that can reassure Ukraine: if Russia invades again, they will have to deal with NATO. This is key to getting Ukraine and the European Union to digest an agreement that is currently difficult to digest. Europe asked, even demanded, to take part in the negotiations: “We reiterate that the implementation of EU and NATO-related measures requires the consent of EU and NATO members” was the notice delivered to Trump by European countries in the South African capital. Meanwhile, today a table has been set: in Switzerland, major European countries are ready to sit down with Trump’s envoys. Hope the bill isn’t too expensive.
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© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
