During the recent meeting in Alaska between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, it was strikingly obvious that Europe was sidelined... again! Despite European tax payers having to see billions of their taxes being spend in support of Ukraine, plus all the sanctions, rhetoric, fear and war mongering they had to endure by their leaders and elites, no single European leader, not even Zelensky himself was invited to participate in this meeting, regarding the conflict in his own country.
The two statesmen decided to discuss, albeit not coming to an agreement just yet, the future of Ukraine and the outcome of this war. Important European heads of state, members of the NATO alliance, a military block which Ukraine is aspiring to join and which all the fuss is allegedly about, were publicly left out and shunned, regardless the calls from EU and Ukrainian leaders, that "no decision for Ukraine, without Ukraine". Wow!
What one could make from all this, is that firstly Europe needs to wake up. We got leaders not fit for purpose and they are leading us based not on realpolitik and in sync with the new reality the world is heading towards to, but they are still stuck in post WW2 rhetorics and outdated ideologies. They regurgitate the same nonsense which kept our continent stuck to the hip of USA for the past decades, when even the US leadership itself is turning away from them lately. The ever sacred Euro-Atlantic alliance is no more.
... If it ever was in reality. European leaders were so used to bow their heads to the US "saviors" and getting rewarded for it with political careers in their countries, or EU and NATO institutions. They were happy to let America pay for European defense, while they sold out our banks, industries and even our land and culture to the highest bidder in exchange. All in the name of this sacred "alliance". However, no matter how much Europe hopped on one foot to satisfy US demands, it did not spare it from Trump's recent trade war and tariffs, did it?
And while Europeans are stuck in their morals, ethics and ideologies about international law- no matter how many times they, while following their US overlords had to break it, the new US leadership goes and gives them a good slap in the face and shows them that in the end, they again have the last say; despite the fact that Europeans made equal amount of sacrifices to support Ukraine, if not more, since our contributions to this conflict surpass those of USA.
Not to mention poor Ukraine, whose population is being sacrified on the chess board between USA and Russia, their country ravaged and destroyed and only Putin is blamed by our media, not the West itself, whose interests are also damaging the country and perpetuating this war, to the detriment of everyone. And when anyone- like myself- dared ever to state that this war is not winnable and that we should negotiate and compromise in order to avoid further escalation of this conflict, or further destruction of Ukraine, we were branded by many as "Putinists" and "Russian trolls".
Well, there you have it now, a US President trying to end this conflict without Europe, giving leverage to Putin by rolling the red carpet to him in Alaska and signaling a turn in American interests. The world is changing, BRICS are expanding, dedollarisation is in full swing and yes, if America wants to stay relevant it needs to negotiate, be flexible and adjust to the new realities. The problem is when will Europe do the same?
We are heading towards a multipolar world, when new alliances and economic, military and political realities will emerge, so our continent must adapt accordingly. Instead of sticking to the past sense of grandiose of dominance, decision making based on ideologies and a moral compass which is against some "aggressors" or "dictators", while is very happy to do business with some others because it suits our interests, we better do what America itself under Trump is doing and start playing ball with everyone.
Ukraine's war was always about its resources, the wealth that comes with it and power. It was never about NATO membership, democracy, freedom and all the other sentimental mumbo-jumbo our leaders are spewing to their feeble voters. It can never be won by Ukraine alone, not unless USA and Europe go to war with Russia, which is something nobody wants (and hopefully will never do), as it would certainly be the start if WW3. Because in their ultimate wisdom, Western leaders managed to unite Iran, China, North Korea and Russia, all nuclear powers and with anti-Western sentiments, due to their recent policies and decisions, like allowing Israel to attack Iran with its missiles, plus the long-standing US bras-de-fer with China in the South China Sea and ongoing trade war.
And sadly for Ukraine, it has to learn a bitter lesson; if you rely on anyone for your defense, either you got a choice or not, you are also a waif at the mercy of their interests. This was made clear with Zelensky's humiliation in the White House by Trump, back in February 2025. In addition, it was only a matter of time before US and European voters would start being tired of paying for an unwinnable conflict, or as it usually happens, leadership changes, new economic and political realities, or simply plain interests from the start, which required a country to be in desperate need, so that it can be in debt to the West forever, sealed its fate; to be in a double edged sword situation, either they do as they Westerners say, or they risk to lose even more land to Russia. The West has played this game many times before, in the Balkans and Greece for example. The approximately 250 billion dollars that the West has already spent in Ukraine so far, are not terms and conditions free, Ukraine will be in dept to Western nations for generations to come.
And whatever one has to say about Trump as a person or a leader, no one can deny at this stage that diplomacy is the way forward to end this disastrous conflict; not more armaments, rhetorics, blame game, propaganda and sanctions- which haven't worked deterring Russia from gaining even more ground latelly in Ukraine. The only problem is, that Europeans are stuck in their narrow mindedness, corruption, idealism and perceived moral superiority, that even their revered US elites are lately turning away from them and choose diplomacy with Putin, allowing him to land on American soil for negotiations, despite an existing International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him since 2023.
Will Europeans choose to carry the can of supporting Ukraine by themselves from now on, or will they lose face and accept the new reality? My bet is that they will opt for the first option, judging from their staunch and rigid approach in this conflict from the start. What will they say to their voters, how can they save face and their cherished political careers, when for years were acting with no consent by the European citizens, terrorising them that if Russia wins then they will attack Europe next and conquer it all the way to Lisbon, when the Russians clearly cannot- or have no interest in taking the whole of Ukraine, just to funnel billions of tax payers money to fund this war?
And they will keep up with this fantasy even when it is clear that Russia is winning, nobody in Europe and America is actually willing to send troops to Ukraine and go to war with Russia- so all we are achieving is hurting our own economies, risking a greater conflict, destroying Ukraine for generations to come, benefiting the Western arms industries which are the only ones gaining from this war, submitting our continent ever more to US interests and economy, while ridiculing ourselves and any aspirations we ever had for Europe to become a strong political global player, with a significant voice and influence in the world. Well, Trump and Putin just bursted that bubble and while there is no surprise from the Russians, when will it sink in that our "cousins" the Americans have not our best interests at heart, nor any respect for our continent and especially our leaders, who see as irrelevant to this war at this stage?
photo credit Katie Couric Media
