Tomorrow the Europeans will try to “whisper” the strategic importance of Ukraine to Trump, before he meets Putin

Brussels – If a breakthrough towards peace in Ukraine emerged from the summit in Alaska between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, it would come as a huge surprise to everyone. In fact, it’s likely that no one expects anything serious in this regard. 

Putin will likely make demands that are unacceptable to Kyiv and will therefore be rejected. On the other hand, at this stage, and since Trump sits in the White House, things for Moscow’s war are going quite well, within the limits possible for an army that has shown itself to have enormous military limitations and probably no motivation among the troops. Slowly, though steadily, Putin’s army is progressing in its occupation of Donetsk, and can look forward to the siege of Kramatorsk, home of Nkmz, one of Ukraine’s largest industries. 

Trump seems to want to achieve peace, whatever that may be (and for him, anything that pleases Moscow is fine), also because his election promises to end the war within 24 hours are starting to take a toll. 

Europeans are concerned about the two leaders’ attempt to reach some agreement excluding Kyiv, which is unacceptable politically and also strategically, as Ukraine is proving to be an indispensable military bulwark for EU security. Therefore, there is pressure for a peace that is agreed with Kyiv and does not weaken Ukraine’s defence capabilities in the future. 

The issue is therefore vital for all the actors involved. The Union has been doing its part for months, also by trying to offer Trump a different interpretation of the situation from the one provided by his advisers, who are often improvised experts in international and defence policy, and the one instilled in him by Putin, a great expert, on the other hand, in international politics and the politics of force. 

So the European leaders managed to have a virtual meeting with Trump tomorrow, 13 August, before he meets the Russian dictator in Alaska. Here is the busy schedule for the day. 

Three consecutive video conferences are planned. The first, at 2 p.m., will bring together the leaders of Germany, France, the UK, Poland, Italy and Finland, together with the heads of the European Commission and the European Council, the NATO Secretary General and President Zelenzky. 

At 3 p.m., there will be a debate with Trump, his Vice-President JD Vance, EU leaders and Zelenskyy. 

Then the group known as the “Coalition of the Willing” (Germany, UK, and France) will meet for a conference call at 4.30 p.m..