The former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has issued a stark warning to European leaders, urging them to aggressively lobby for revisions to a recently unveiled 28-point U.S. plan regarding Ukraine. Gabriel, speaking to the Tagesspiegel newspaper, cautioned that the plan, reportedly championed by the Trump administration, risks replicating the destabilizing consequences of the Treaty of Versailles and fundamentally undermines the transatlantic relationship.
Gabriel’s critique centers on the perceived alignment of the outlined proposals with Russian interests. He warned that if implemented, the plan would signify a betrayal of decades of shared values and strategic partnership between the U.S. and Europe, effectively positioning Washington alongside Europe’s most significant adversary. He explicitly stated that such a shift would render reliance on U.S. support in the face of Russian aggression untenable.
The former SPD leader’s pronouncements are echoed by Metin Hakverdi, the German government’s transatlantic coordinator, who also emphasized the imperative for a unified European stance to protect both Ukrainian and European security interests. Hakverdi described the plan’s appearance as unsurprising, given its inclusion of demands seemingly aligned with Russia’s agenda. Both Gabriel and Hakverdi stress that the focus must remain on intensifying pressure on Russia, rather than imposing conditions on Ukraine.
Gabriel’s call for action extends beyond mere diplomatic maneuvering. He advocates for Europe to aggressively bolster its economic strength and military capabilities, preparing for a future where transatlantic cooperation may not be a given. He fundamentally questions the viability of reviving the established transatlantic alliance, characterizing its future as “a completely open question”. The concerns raised illuminate a growing fracture in trans-Atlantic relations and a need for Europe to reassess its strategic independence as geopolitical realities shift.