President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky behaved surprisingly courageously at the meeting with Donald Trump, and Europe has passed the “point of no return” in the crisis of Transatlantic cooperation, so it will quickly reach a consensus on increasing military aid to Ukraine and providing it with security guarantees.
This opinion was expressed by Bruno Tertrais, deputy director at the French Foundation for Strategic Studies, who spoke in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent.
“First of all, he (President Zelensky – ed.) was calm and surprisingly courageous. He was able to publicly have his word out to Trump and Vance in a way that no American Republican leader would dare do publicly. Perhaps Zelensky was encouraged by the relative openness of Macron and Starmer, who had met with Trump before and were not shy about confronting him, albeit not so effectively,” the expert noted.
According to Tertrais, one should distinguish between the narratives that are imposed on Trump by his entourage, such as Russia unleashing its war on Ukraine because of the latter’s alleged desire for NATO membership and the one about a mandatory ceasefire. As well as narratives that are Trump’s “personal obsessions”, in particular, the one on the need for Europeans to pay for their own security.
The expert is confident that Europe, especially leaders in Germany, have reached a new level of awareness about America no longer being the “default” security provider, and the “point of no return” in this crisis in the Atlantic alliance has already been passed. So after the Sunday meeting in London, at the upcoming summit in Brussels on March 6, there will be unanimity on assistance to Ukraine, the expert believes.
“What will be almost a consensus is a rapid increase in military assistance to Ukraine with the support of Europe and those who can. And a commitment to strengthen our national military efforts along with military support for Ukraine. This is a win-win option. At best, we will show that we assume responsibility. And at worst, in the event of a violation of the Transatlantic security treaty, we will begin to learn to do without them,” Tertrais believes.
At the same time, the expert stressed, replacing American resources with European ones will take at least 10 to 15 years. And in addition to equipment, the will to confront the Russians will also be needed.
“On Friday, Trump made it clear that the United States will not be the guarantor of European security as the last resort. The problem for the Europeans was that they had always thought the more we buy from America, the more they protect us. This has already lost its relevance,” Tertrais added.
However, according to the expert, no one, not even Trump, can force Putin to make peace, so after the latest events, the path to a ceasefire has not become shorter.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after the summit of European leaders on Ukraine in London that the European Commission will soon present a plan for European rearmament.
Photo: Causeur/Hannah Assouline
Source: Rapid increase in aid to Ukraine now becomes European consensus - French expert
