Trump-Putin Bromance Leaves Europe Hanging

There is a sinking feeling in Europe that the US under Donald Trump can no longer be trusted as a bulwark against Russia, as they witness the beginning of an unprecedented thaw in US-Russia relations. There is concern that a rapprochement between the two could rip apart the trans-Atlantic agreement that had been in place since the end of the second World War and provided Europe with America라이브 바카라 defence umbrella. 

Europe sees Russia as a major threat---a view that was once shared by every American President, whether Republican or Democrat. However, Trump does not. Ever the disruptor, Trump라이브 바카라 world view is non-conformist. In fact, since his first term in office he has been berating other NATO members for not contributing enough towards security. The call for payment by member states have  become more strident now. Trump is clear that American tax payers must not bear the burden for Europe라이브 바카라 defence. It is a fact that the US has kept the funds flowing and done much of the heavy lifting in NATO. Trump라이브 바카라  foreign policy is transactional and he is in no mood to spend more American money on Europe.

NATO member states fear that the assiduously built defence architecture of Europe, in place since 1947, is crumbling under Trump. None of this has happened yet, but leaders like Britain라이브 바카라 Keir Starmer and France라이브 바카라 Emmanuel Macron have seen the writing in the wall and want to push back against total dependence on the US security shield.

Leading the European charge are Starmer and Macron. On Wednesday, the French President went on prime time television to talk to his countrymen. He delivered an address similar to what Starmer had done during a gathering of European leaders invited to pledge support to Ukraine라이브 바카라 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He had stopped over in London on his way back from a bruising encounter with Trump in the White House. 

Macron said that Europe must deter the Russian threat. He proclaimed that France will continue to support Ukraine라이브 바카라 war effort. The President  also offered Germany the protection of the French nuclear umbrella if necessary. Since the end of the war Germany had the comfort of America라이브 바카라  nuclear protection. Macron went to great lengths to say that unless Russia is stopped in Ukraine, it would be emboldened to continue expanding its territory.   

"Who can believe, in this context, that Russia will stop at Ukraine? Russia has become, as I speak to you and for years to come, a threat to France and Europe," Macron told his people. "Faced with this world of danger, remaining a spectator would be madness. It is a question, without further delay, of making decisions for Ukraine, for the security of the French, for the security of Europeans," he added. 

Leaders of the 27 European countries are meeting in Brussels on Thursday for a special summit to discuss continued support for Ukraine and shore up European defences in case the US walks away. EU has provided around 135 billion euros to Ukraine in aid  since the war began.

There is concern among European security analysts that the US and Russia already have a clear understanding of where they wish to take the relations. When the details are fleshed out it could result in a complete reversal of the  strategic global positioning of Europe and the world. Current international politics would be turned on its head.   

The suspicion is that the US and Russia are in advance stages of negotiations on resetting their bilateral relations. More to the point an agreement on how to end the war has been discussed. Zelenskyy and the EU fear that Ukraine라이브 바카라 interests are being  thrown under the bus as Trump라이브 바카라 officials have been mouthing many of the Kremlin라이브 바카라 redlines: No NATO membership for Ukraine, and no going back to the pre-2014 border, when Crimea was taken over. There would be some give and take of occupied territory but details are not known. 

There are some pointers that the US-Moscow ties have taken an unprecedented turn. The New York Times reported that Defence Secretary Pere Hegseth has ordered US Cyber Command to halt all offensive operations against Russia as a part of a larger re-evaluation of anti-Russia operation. The Kremlin is said to have given similar orders to its version of cyber warriors. The US no longer regards Russia as a cybersecurity threat, or an enemy country.

In a blow to Ukraine라이브 바카라 war efforts, the Trump administration has paused military supplies to Ukraine. This was followed by the decision not to share intelligence, a critical element of modern warfare with Ukraine. 

Earlier in February, at the United Nations General Assembly where the US and Russia, voted against a Ukrainian and European-backed resolution, condemning Russia라이브 바카라 aggression of Ukraine. This was a shift from America라이브 바카라 constant vote against Russia in the UNGA. The shift in policy was there for everyone to see. Russia and the US sided against Ukraine and Europe. Later at the UN Security Council, the two countries voted together in a US-sponsored resolution on Ukraine. The watered down resolution did not mention Russia as the aggressor or talk of Ukraine라이브 바카라 territorial integrity, that had earlier always been part of the statement. The resolution was to mark the three years of Russian aggression of Ukraine. 

Trump and Putin have also been praising each other since the phone call between the two. The Kremlin라이브 바카라 propaganda machine no longer singles out America as the enemy. The enemy is now Ukraine and European powers.

Whether Trump and Putin can sustain the negotiations or the talks breakdown is anybody라이브 바카라 guess.