The U.S. administration is ready to hand Russia a win in its brutal war against Ukraine.
That’s the only conclusion we can make after following the news this week. If anyone held onto hopes that U.S. President Donald Trump would be tough on Russia’s Vladimir Putin, sorry to disappoint you.
As the week unfolded, the world watched as Trump and his team — a group of people who pride themselves on being artful dealmakers — threw away any possible leverage they may have had over Russia. They brought Putin back to the table, took NATO off of Ukraine’s, and said a return to pre-invasion borders was unrealistic.
In other words, they gave Moscow exactly what it wanted before the negotiations even started.
Here in Ukraine, that means we only have one hope remaining — we need you, in Europe, to step up.
The U.S. president seems to have made it his goal to indulge his Russian counterpart at every possible turn. He called Putin before Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, clearly showing his preference. He praised the Russian dictator and the “great nation” of Russia. He also promised Putin a meeting.
Perhaps most notably, Trump refused to call Ukraine an equal partner in peace negotiations, and blamed Ukraine for “going into the war,” as if it was Ukraine’s choice. He also demanded access to Ukraine’s critical minerals, trying to use a battered ally’s vulnerability to take something away from it.
All of this happened ahead of the Munich Security Conference. There, on its first day, U.S. Vice President JD Vance offered no clarity on Trump’s plans regarding the war, instead taking the stage to lecture the already anxious European allies about democracy.
Watching it all happen from Ukraine was especially devastating. Being at the epicenter of the storm, having lived through three years of Russia’s full-scale war and all that comes with it, we now have to watch as Russia is about to not just get away with all of its crimes, but be rewarded for them.
There is little use in trying to understand Trump and his team’s words and actions now. They went beyond appeasement. Russian politicians, media, and public figures are loudly gloating and praising Trump, understandably so.
We know very well that Trump and his team aren’t speaking for all Americans. At the Kyiv Independent, we have a front-row seat in seeing how many regular Americans support Ukraine and donate to Ukrainian causes, including backing our publication. They are true supporters of justice and democracy, and there are plenty of them. However, the U.S. president is acting in their name, too.
Trump’s words and actions signal a change that is bleak for Ukraine and the free world. He acts like he isn’t just going to let Russia win the war but is ready to help it win.
So, is this it?
No. Even the leader of the world’s most powerful country can’t single-handedly decide the outcome of this war. America may be the biggest and richest ally Ukraine has, but it’s far from the only one.
That means that, of course, all the eyes are on you, Europe.
The real decision on whether Russia wins the war doesn’t actually sit with Trump now — it’s with Europe. The EU and the U.K. have shown that they are capable of standing up to Russian aggression and backing Ukraine. Now they need to find the resolve to lead, not be led.
The people of Europe need to demand from their leaders to speak up and step up, to counter the conceding direction taken by the U.S. administration.
A good example of leadership was set by the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who on Feb. 13 reiterated that Ukraine was on “irreversible path to NATO” and said it has to be “at the heart” of any peace discussions, countering the points of Trump and his team.
Other leaders, including Germany’s Olaf Scholz and France’s Emmanuel Macron, have to join suit. If they truly have their people’s interests at heart, and are real leaders of their nations and not political opportunists, they need to recognize the urgency of the situation, and act now.
After all, if the U.S. is out, and Ukraine falls, Europe will be left to face Russia one-on-one.
Almost exactly three years ago, when the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine was clearly coming, we called upon the world to stand up to Russia. Here’s what was at the core of our call back then:
“This is not just about Ukraine. It’s a clash of two worlds, two polar sets of values. If Putin wins, your world loses. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow – but soon, and unquestionably.”
Those words are still true today. Russia isn’t at war with Ukraine, it’s at war with the West. And if a significant part of the West deserts, the rest needs to make sure to show up for battle.
Nobody wants this war to end more than Ukrainians do. It’s our homes that get attacked with drones every night. It’s our friends who get killed in battle. It’s our youth that’s been stolen by this war. But we understand that any compromise with Russia won’t be the end of the war.
There can’t be a compromise in this war. Russia wins – the West loses. The West wins – Russia loses.
Europe, the time is now.
Oleg Sukhov
