Michael McFaul, a former U.S. Ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, has criticized the strategy of U.S. President Donald Trump in dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I don’t think it’s a wise strategy to give Putin everything he wants before even sitting down to negotiate with the Ukrainians” McFaul told the “Stern” magazine.
“It’s not the way you negotiate, especially not with the Russians.” The Trump administration’s decision to publicly state that the U.S. would not accept Ukraine’s membership in NATO and would not deploy its own troops to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine before the start of negotiations is unwise, McFaul said. “Something like that should be part of a deal and the U.S. needs to get something in return” the former ambassador, who now teaches politics at Stanford University, added.
Washington’s NATO partners are put in a difficult position by Trump’s actions, McFaul noted. “It’s not a clever move to announce something like that without consulting NATO partners” he said, acknowledging the political pressure behind Trump’s decision not to send U.S. troops to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the German Bundestag, Michael Roth (SPD), sharply criticized the poor preparation of Europe for the phone call between Trump and Putin on Ukraine. “This is a bitter moment for Ukraine, but also for Europe and Germany” Roth told the “Rheinische Post”. “We are sliding into a situation unprepared, despite warnings from experts.”
“Trump is doing exactly what he announced months ago and he’s doing what Putin has always wanted: the two ‘superpowers’ are negotiating over our fate as if in the era of the bipolar world. Europe and Ukraine are sitting at best at the children’s table” Roth warned. “The dealmaker Trump sets the pace and direction. The security interests of Ukraine and all of Europe are being sacrificed in a fake peace.”
“The European states bear a significant share of responsibility for this” Roth said. “Nobody was prepared or able to take the lead to put Ukraine in a stronger position for negotiations. Europe has been too optimistic, done too little and above all, has not shown a realistic alternative in a timely manner” the SPD politician criticized.
“Since over a year, we know that the U.S. is no longer willing or able to take on its leadership responsibility and we in Germany prefer to engage in an ideological debate about the debt brake rather than forming a European coalition in this historic exceptional situation” Roth said.
“Even France and Poland, let alone Spain and Italy, did not take on more responsibility. We could have offered Trump a deal: Europe takes on the majority of the financial burdens and buys military equipment from the U.S. that we ourselves cannot produce quickly and comprehensively enough” the SPD politician said.
“Now, the Russian imperialist is about to succeed again, with dire consequences not only for Ukraine, but for all of Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus” Roth warned.
Like Roth, CDU Foreign Policy Expert Roderich Kiesewetter also warned of disastrous consequences for Germany and Europe. “Trump’s phone call with Putin and his negotiation plans over the heads of the Europeans and especially the Ukrainians are an absolutely fatal signal for the post-war world order” Kiesewetter told the “Rheinische Post”.
“A war of aggression will be rewarded with territory. This buries the idea of NATO and completely hollows out Article 5. The time of talking is over” Kiesewetter said. “A coalition of the willing within Europe must take the lead. Donald Tusk and the Baltic government leaders are already taking this direction. It will now be up to the next German government to either join these initiatives or watch the collapse of the post-war world order” the CDU politician warned.
“We have not prepared ourselves for the past months and years, almost not at all, despite it being relatively clear what Trump wants – exactly what is now happening. A lack of strategic culture and a lack of orientation have led us into this mess” Kiesewetter said. “For Ukraine and all of Europe, this is a terrible situation. Ukraine could have been in a position of strength a long time ago if Europe and especially Germany had supported it more quickly and decisively” the CDU politician said.
“A deal between Trump and Putin without credible security guarantees or a securing of NATO troops will only encourage Russia to launch further attacks” Kiesewetter warned. “It is a disaster – for Ukraine, for Germany, for Europe.