The following text by Stefan Meister is one of several in which experts comment on "peace plans" for Ukraine and how Europe should deal with Moscow and Washington. The collection was published by Thomas de Waal, Senior Fellow at Carnegie Europe, on the blog Strategic Europe.
It is time or the EU to come up with its own peace plan, one which is realistic and coordinated with Kyiv. It is obvious that U.S. President Donald Trump has no interest in a just peace that serves the interests of European security and provides sustainable security guarantees to Ukraine. Indeed, the White House might even agree to a Russian sphere of influence in Europe if Trump can get a good business deal in Moscow.
Europe’s partner on peace and security is not Washington, but Kyiv. There is no other choice than integrating Ukraine into both the EU and a European security architecture. It is time for Brussels to define what it is willing and able to do to provide security guarantees, to use the Russian frozen assets, and to develop long-term funding for Kyiv. In the case of the latter, Eurobonds could be an option.
If Europe wants a seat in negotiations on own future, it has to take more responsibility for impacting Moscow’s cost-benefit calculation and in so doing end the war. For this, it needs a coalition of willing that is able to act, provide resources, and build a negotiation channel with Russia. Only then will Trump and Putin accept Europe as an actor.
