No need for NATO, EU, and Ukraine in peace talk

THE United States sees no reason to include the European Union (EU) that also largely composed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in resolving the issue of a peace settlement with the Russian Federation as regards the ongoing war in Ukraine, prompting France and Germany to call for an “emergency meeting” of EU countries this week.

Retired US Army general, Joseph Keith Kellogg, President Donald Trump’s “special envoy” in resolving the Ukraine-Russia conflict, pulled no punches in bluntly telling EU leaders during the Munich Security Forum (MSC) that was held from February 14 to February 16, saying he was “from the school of realism and that (EU/Ukraine participation) is not going to happen.”

Kellogg reasoned that “too many voices” during the talks can only derail President Trump’s determined effort to end the conflict the soonest time possible, citing the horrendous number of casualties and destruction on both sides of the conflict.

The US approach came as a shock to the EU leaders, including those from Ukraine, who are all still reeling from the harsh criticism they got from Vice President JD Vance.

Ddring his talk at the MSC, Vance claims that the “biggest threat” to European security is not China and Russia “but from within,” referencing the EU’s “withdrawal to democracy” and “shared values” with the United States thru the EU’s increasing repression of free speech, the cancellation of the election in Romania, and the EU’s own problems with illegal immigration.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had also doused cold water to the expectation of the EU and Ukraine of America’s “for as long as it takes” support to Ukraine under the Joe Biden administration when he made it clear during his turn at the MSC that America would not be sending any soldier to help repel Russia’s unrelenting attacks.

His announcement ended any hope by the EU/NATO of sending any ‘peacekeepers’ to Ukraine when peace finally arrives. Of the estimated 120,000 troops needed to deploy to Ukraine for one year, NATO now concedes it can only deploy, at best, 25,000 troops, with the remainder they hope to come from the United States.

All of Trump’s top officials at the MSC also made it clear that Ukraine and the EU should stop hoping that Ukraine would be able to recover territories it had already lost to Russia as a “precondition” for any peace talk.

These areas covered the Crimea (2014) and the four eastern regions of Ukraine bordering Russia, which voted in a referendum in 2023 to be part of the Russian Federation.

America’s position made it clear that it does not give much weight anymore to whatever the EU and NATO is telling it nor is America still very much concern of giving the continent unending military support without them footing the bill.

As a precondition for America’s continuing leadership of NATO, President Trump wants all EU members to spend, not 2 percent, but at least 5 percent of their respective GDP (gross domestic product), a 3 percent increase from Trump’s original demand during his first administration (2016-2020).

Adding to the insult to the EU is on learning that President Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia had already talked over the phone on February 12, without their knowledge and with Trump not even giving them a heads up prior to his phone conversation with Putin or briefing them afterwards.

That talk resulted to the initial agreement by both sides to have a preliminary discussion with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as host. Leading the delegation are their respective foreign secretaries, Mark Rubio for the United States and Sergie Lavrov for Russia.

In February 2022, Russia was forced to launch a ‘special military operation’ in Eastern Ukraine to preempt an impending attack by Ukraine and NATO forces and in response to the continuing plea from ethnic Russians to save them from being completely destroyed by the Nazi regime in Kiev, which has been bombarding and massacring the residents of the 4 eastern regions of the country since 2014.