A recent conversation with Norwegian Professor Glenn Diesen and British Geostrategist Alexander Mercouris, facilitated by George Beebe, highlights a bitter reality: Europe has no credible alternative to the peace plan of the Trump administration. Instead, the continent’s top politicians remain trapped in their own narratives, which blind them to the realities of the war in Ukraine. This drives them to double down on their failed strategy of escalation, as Ukraine is simply expected to win, despite being militarily and civically in a precarious situation.
Europe’s current strategy, marked by unwavering support for Ukraine’s war efforts and relentless pressure on Russia, has been ineffective. “The course they are following, namely, we will stay as long as necessary, give the Ukrainians as much as possible and increase the economic and political pressure on the Russians to force them to surrender, has failed” Beebe explains. Despite this, Europe persists, unable to adapt due to a lack of capacity and political will.
According to Beebe, Europe’s dependence on the US is crucial and he notes that the continent cannot compensate for the support the US provides to Ukraine. “The reality is that Europe cannot compensate for what the United States offers to Ukraine” he explains. While Europe can offer economic aid and some weapons, it lacks advanced capabilities, such as real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data, or an equivalent to Starlink, which the Ukraine relies on. “They don’t have these capabilities and many of the Ukrainians’ weapons systems won’t function and many of their battlefield operations won’t be continued” Beebe emphasizes.
In a recent development, the US has halted all military aid to Ukraine, including satellite and aerial military reconnaissance and targeting and even stopped US transport planes carrying weapons for Ukraine in mid-air and sent them back to the US.
It is a fact that Ukraine, even with the massive and broad military support of the NATO, could not withstand the Russian forces. The significant and extensive US military aid on the battlefield was far more extensive and effective than that of the Europeans. And now, the French, British and Germans are forming the opinion that they can, without the US, single-handedly intimidate the Russians. A fact is: Europe is powerless to influence the war’s outcome without the US – as certain as 2+2=4. However, the European war hawks are determined to ignore this reality – at the cost of Ukrainian and Russian lives and the economic and social future of their own countries.