Moscow—
Brussels and Kiev appear to be pushing back against US President Donald Trump’s proposed plan to resolve the Ukraine crisis, according to experts interviewed by Izvestia.
The US expressed frustration over Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s refusal to acknowledge the new territorial realities. In response, Washington decided against sending a high-ranking delegation to the talks scheduled in London on Wednesday. France, the UK, and Germany followed suit, reducing their level of participation.
The decision by the US to downgrade the London meeting from ministerial to expert-level discussions signals that the coalition has rejected Trump’s plan even before the talks began, opting instead to work on an alternative proposal.
The refusal by Kiev and European nations to accept Trump’s plan raises questions about the future of the negotiation process. However, analysts suggest that the US is unlikely to withdraw from the talks in the near term. Political experts point to two key reasons: first, the lack of progress on other international issues, such as Greenland, the Gaza Strip, and the trade war with China, which makes resolving the Ukraine crisis a priority for Washington. Second, the US remains committed to its strategic pivot toward the Asia-Pacific region, which requires reallocating resources from Europe—a move contingent on resolving the Ukraine conflict.
Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, noted that the US finds the counterarguments from Kiev and Europe unacceptable. He warned that continued resistance from European and Ukrainian officials could prompt the US to suspend military aid to Ukraine, as it did in early March.
“The current situation poses significant risks for both Ukraine and Europe,” Suslov explained.
“Without diplomatic and military support from the United States, Brussels will struggle to sustain the Ukrainian conflict, and Kiev’s path to defeat could shorten dramatically.”
