After Trump summit: EU and Russia watch each other, deep mistrust

Following President Donald Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European heads of government in Washington on Monday, it is clear that deep mistrust and clearly very different ideas about a peace solution for Ukraine remain. Even after the several-hour summit, it remains unclear whether there will be a quick "deal," as Trump would like. Even if a legally binding agreement were to be reached, the Europeans doubt Russia's reliability, and Moscow doesn't trust the Europeans.

After the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron gave an interview to the US broadcaster NBC in which he said: "When I look at the situation and the facts, I do not see that President Putin wants peace now." He could not see why Russia should be accommodated with territorial demands when Russia had illegally conquered the territories.

On Tuesday, Macron went even further, attacking the Russian president, whom Trump had treated so ostentatiously kindly. Putin is "a predator, a monster at our gates," Macron said in an interview with the French TV channel LCI. "Even for his own survival, he has to keep eating," Macron said. Russia has become "a permanently destabilizing power and a potential threat to many of us."

After the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, Putin "rarely kept his promises," Macron said. He further stated, according to AFP, that "a country that invests 40 percent of its budget in such equipment, that has mobilized an army of more than 1.3 million troops, will not return to peace and an open democratic system overnight." While France will not be invaded tomorrow, he added, Russia poses a threat to Europe.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz was somewhat more conciliatory: He said the summit took place in a very constructive atmosphere and exceeded his expectations. Ukraine "must not be forced to cede territory." Regarding the Russian demand that Ukraine cede the Donbass territories not yet conquered by Russia, Merz said: It is an area the size of Florida, which is why such a decision cannot be made by Ukraine without further ado. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that territorial cessions are currently being discussed. Until recently, the Europeans had portrayed the issue of restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity as essential.

On the issue of possible security guarantees, fundamental differences persist within the transatlantic alliance: Trump repeatedly stated that European states were responsible for security guarantees. The Americans could assume "coordination." Zelenskyy stated that the Western allies would develop their security guarantees for Kyiv within ten days. It was important that the US participate in these security guarantees. Merz could not say whether German soldiers would be sent to Ukraine to secure a possible peace. However, all European nations should participate in such a mission. Merz said that Zelenskyy believed there should be a ceasefire before a possible meeting with Putin.

Poland expects the war to continue: The so-called Coalition of the Willing is preparing for continued fighting. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X: "The leaders of Canada, Japan, Turkey, New Zealand, and European countries gave a realistic assessment of the results of the meeting in Alaska. We all reaffirmed the need for continued support for Ukraine in the war with Russia."

Hungary, on the other hand, is at loggerheads with Ukraine: The two countries' foreign ministers, Péter Szijjártó and Andrii Sybiha, engaged in a heated exchange over repeated Ukrainian attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline, a crucial link to Hungary's energy supply. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán threatened in a podcast last week that Hungary could bring Ukraine to a standstill in a single day by shutting off its power supply: "If an accident happens—if a few power poles fall or lines are severed—Ukraine would come to a standstill," Orbán said.

Meanwhile, Moscow is using its weapons to do the talking: Russian troops attacked an oil refinery that supplies the Ukrainian army in the Donbass region with precision weapons and drones overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday. Emmanuel Macron complained on NBC that the Russian army had fired on civilians during the phone call between Trump and Putin.

Statements from Moscow suggest that Russia has no illusions about the EU. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel: "Trump and his team are aware that this conflict has a reason. And that the talk of some presidents and prime ministers from Europe that Russia would attack Ukraine without provocation is completely childish. I can't think of any other word." Lavrov opposed the EU's call for an immediate ceasefire and explicitly criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who "continues to say that it is necessary to put pressure on Russia with sanctions." "Human rights," on the other hand, play no role. Lavrov surprised everyone in the interview by stating that Russia never intended to occupy Ukrainian territory. He said, according to the Russian state news agency Tass: "Our goal was to protect the people, the Russian people who have lived on this land for centuries, who discovered this land, shed their blood for it both in Crimea and in Donbas, and founded cities like Odessa, Nikolayev and many others, as well as ports, plants and factories." Lavrov said that if Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy was serious about his country adhering to its constitution, he should start with the first articles of the document, which guarantee the rights of the Russian-speaking population.