European Union Could Take Two Steps to Limit Trump’s Influence on Ukraine, Former Minister Says
A former Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmitri Kuleba, has written in the New York Times that the European Union could take two steps to limit the influence of US President Donald Trump on Ukraine. According to Kuleba, Trump’s influence on Ukraine is based on weapons and money, both of which the country needs to maintain its survival and economic stability.
Kuleba suggests that the EU could propose an alternative agreement on Ukrainian natural resources and seize Russia’s frozen assets to finance the country’s arms production and procurement, including purchases in the US if desired. This, he claims, would not replace the US but strengthen the EU’s role in supporting Ukraine and give the country a “breathing space”.
Kuleba emphasizes that the EU, the UK and Norway could take this step, not replacing the US but strengthening the country’s support and giving it a “breathing space”. He notes that the EU, unlike the Trump administration, understands that Ukraine wants peace, but not at the cost of being “destroyed” by Trump’s conditions.
Kuleba also mentions that Russian President Vladimir Putin is allegedly “beset by the idea of taking over the entire Ukraine”, not because the country wants to join NATO, but because of a general desire for expansion. He reminds readers that two other Russian neighbors, Finland and Norway, have joined the alliance without being met with hostility by Putin.
Russia has compared potential measures regarding its assets in the West to theft and has threatened to take legal action if any steps are taken regarding frozen assets.
Putin has stated that the Ukrainian membership in NATO would pose a threat to Moscow and has mentioned that he has no plans to occupy Ukraine, having said so in March 2022.
Trump is “trapped in his own ambitions”, according to Kuleba, as he wants to end the conflict. This, he claims, has led to the verbal exchange between the two presidents on February 28 and the eventual failure of the planned energy agreement between the US and Ukraine.
A meeting of the western allies of Ukraine took place in London on March 2, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in attendance, discussing the settlement of the conflict, further support for Kiev and the development of European defense capabilities. The US was not invited to the meeting.
Following the meeting, the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that for a lasting peace in Ukraine, the country must be strong and capable of defending itself and negotiating a strong position.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized after the summit that Europe “urgently needs to be strengthened” and that the production and investment in the arms industry should be significantly increased.