Whoever doubts that Europe is in danger of an ominous divergence on Russia and Ukraine should take a look at the forced smiles of the “triple handshake” between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk when they met in Berlin last Friday, ostensibly to overcome their strategic differences in the context of the “Weimar Triangle.” In the past three weeks, Europe’s debate about increased support for Ukraine versus “suing for peace” has

“Some told you … that you were missing opportunities to keep quiet – but I believe we sometimes missed opportunities to listen. That time is over.” - French President Emmanuel Macron at GLOBSEC’s 2023 summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, on May 31, 2023, in reference to a statement made by then-President Jacques Chirac in 2003 that Central Europe “missed an excellent opportunity to remain silent” over the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The anticipation was palpable in the packed plenary room of GLOBSEC’s 2

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. “You’re thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don’t. I think that’s ‘old Europe.’ If you look at the entire NATO Europe today, the center of gravity is shifting to the East. … You look at vast numbers of other countries in Europe. They’re not with France and Germany, they’re with the United States.” - Former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rum

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. "We must complete our recovery from the embers of dead empires in a way that does not plunge us back into new forms of domination and oppression." - Martin Kimani, Kenya's UN Ambassador (Feb. 22, 2022) Since March 2022, there has been a recurrent phenomenon in the corridors of Brussels: Whenever Western Europeans feel cornered by Poles or Balts w