'A defeat for the West’: European leaders fear Trump just tanked Ukraine’s leverage

Following President Donald Trump’s meeting and Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday, European leaders are growing disillusioned with the negotiations, telling The New York Times Saturday that they fear “Trump’s affinities with Russia and his admiration for Putin” will lead to weakened European security and Ukrainian sovereignty.

“That’s a defeat for the West,” said Ulrich Speck, a German foreign policy analyst, speaking with the New York Times Saturday. “It’s first and foremost Europe’s defeat.”

Now, Trump has placed the onus on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end the war by agreeing to Putin’s terms, which include the giving up a considerable share of Ukrainian land, two European officials told the New York Times, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Trump headed into the negotiations with a prior demand for a ceasefire, though following the meeting, walked that demand back in lieu of a vague peace agreement that would put an end to the Russo-Ukraine War outright.

He also failed to gain any hard concessions, agreements or commitments from Putin, leading even some former United States intelligence experts to label the meeting a dud.

“Trump’s affinities lie with Russia and his admiration for Putin, and his desire to get along with another great leader and make deals,” said Andrewa Kendall-Taylor, a former U.S. intelligence analyst now with the Center for a New American Security. “That’s why we’ve seen him avoid actually imposing any meaningful costs on Russia.”

Zelenskyy was notably left out of the meeting Friday, and is set to meet with Trump in Washington, D.C. on Monday. European leaders in a joint statement reiterated that Zelenskyy must be involved in any peace negotiations, and pushed back on any agreement that involved Ukraine giving up territory.

“International borders must not be changed by force,” the joint statement reads, signed onto by France President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, among others.

“As long as the killing in Ukraine continues, we stand ready to uphold the pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia’s war economy until there is a just and lasting peace.”