The reaction of the German government to “the form” in which Trump has designed negotiations on Ukraine, directly with Putin, is “consternation.” The German foreign relations minister, Annalena Baerbockhe has declared in a early interview with Deutschlandfunk that «no … There should be conversations about the heads of the Ukrainians, “and that” Europeans must participate. “
In addition, he lamented the fact that the EU has not even been informed in advance that Trump would talk to the Russian president. Baerbock has reported that in recent days he has maintained different contacts with the US administration, but “the calls were very cold.” He also said that Ukrainian President Zelenski was informed yesterday by Trump of the content of the phone call after the facts.
Baerbock considers “positive” that Putin has apparently indicated that he is willing to talk about peace. “That was something that should have been done for a long time,” he reproached, but putting ahead that “that peace must preserve the sovereignty of Ukraine.” He is concerned, on the other hand, that the United States does not want to participate in the achievement of that peace he is negotiating.
Trump and his Secretary of Defense, Hegseth, have already made it clear that this will be a matter of Europeans, which will surely mean the presence of European troops in Ukraine to guarantee compliance with a peace agreement that European governments are being Giving.
“It is very important that Europe is united and willing to negotiate with respect to Ukraine,” says Baerbock, who also emphasizes that peace can only be achieved together, with Ukraine and with Europeans. This will be the vision transferred by the Munich Security Conference, which begins on Friday, which is also expected to attend the United States vice president JD Vance. Baerbock does not rule out following Poland’s Foreign Minister, Sikorski, who has assured that he would continue his solid support for Ukraine and that he would harden the sanctions against Russia before possible negotiations.
The political scientist Claudia Major, of the German Institute of International and Security Affairs, regrets that Trump is focusing the negotiation with Putin “as if Ukraine was no longer a sovereign state.” For Ukraine, the US goes from being an ally to a kind of “mediator.” He also points out that the derivation of negotiation is “very worrying for Europeans in many ways.” If the United States no longer feels obliged by the decisions taken in several NATO summits, then the partners must ask what this means for other commitments to Europe or Ukraine. If European states still want to play a role in the efforts for peace in Ukraine, “now they must present their own ideas,” Major suggests.
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