UKRAINE – Arriving at Nato headquarters early on Thursday, Europe’s defence ministers had one common message – that there could be no negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine and Europe at the table too. The question is to what extent the US is listening. After a frenetic 24 hours of US declarations, there is a tangible sense that Europe’s leaders have been caught by surprise; that they now fear being bypassed on any potential Ukraine deal and being deprived of a voice on the future of European security. Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke of Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin as being “very much out of the blue”, even if the US president had made it clear for months that he was aiming to bring a quick end to the war. “There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine,” said the UK’s John Healey. “The same is true for Europe,” warned Dutch Defence Secretary Ruben Brekelmans. “Because of course what is negotiated also has implications for Europe, so we think Europe should also sit at the table.” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk rammed home the message on X when he posted: “All we need is peace. A just peace. Ukraine, Europe and the United States should work on this together. Together.” (BBC)

Photo: Foreign ministers from major European countries. (AFP)