NATO officials have suspended talks about recalibrating their strategy on Russia as the U.S. pushes for a peace settlement in Ukraine, Euractiv reported on April 2, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
The joint declaration at the Washington summit last year included a commitment to "develop recommendations on NATO's strategic approach to Russia, taking into account the changing security environment."
U.S. President Donald Trump, taking office in January, has been mostly reluctant to adopt a confrontational stance toward Moscow as he hopes to broker a ceasefire and a broad peace plan in Ukraine, ending the full-scale war that has been ongoing for more than three years.
While NATO members initially planned to prepare the new Russia strategy by The Hague allied summit in June 2025, the discussions have been effectively on hold for months, Euractiv reported.
According to one of the sources, a key reason is that Washington's partners "do not know" what the U.S. president seeks to achieve in the negotiations. The news illustrates the sway the U.S. continues to hold over NATO's strategies even under Trump's unpredictable second presidency.
In a stark shift from his predecessor, ex-President Joe Biden, Trump resumed direct diplomatic talks with Russia and floated new joint economic ventures. His team is reportedly set to host a Russian presidential aide later this week in the first such visit since 2022.
However, recent days show that Trump is growing increasingly frustrated with Russia and President Vladimir Putin as the Kremlin continues to resist the U.S.-proposed 30-day truce, which Kyiv already supported.
Kate Tsurkan
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