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On Thursday, the new US Defense Secretary, Beit Higseth, denied that the Trump administration pushed the peace talks with Vladimir Putin Russia to “betray” Ukraine. But the fact that the question that is asked tells his own story. Donald Trump’s invitation with Russia’s leader this week European capitalsVolodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian leader and US ally. The president’s approach is anxiously similar to the sale of his partners, whose partners fear it. European leaders should use all means that can try to talk about Trump’s tour of a more powerful position. But they should also collect their actions together, in controlling their defense and Ukraine.

Trump is 90 minutes An invitation to his Russian counterpart It was a gift for the Kremlin. Three years have been torn to isolating a man called by many European leaders and former US President Joe Biden as a war criminal. Welcome to Moscow, undoubted Unrealistic. These may reflect the basic facts. But waiving the main bargaining chips before the negotiations begins is a strange step for an American president who considers himself the master of the deal.

This raises the “bad” ghost that delivers Moscow A lot of what you want. The risks are sharp. It would risk destabilizing Ukraine if its citizens and soldiers felt that they are forced to surrender. Putin, and others, will encourage, through the proposal of the military aggression brings rewards. If the United States imposes such peace, on the heads of Kiev and European capitals, then walk away, the Atlantic alliance will be severely undermined – making Putin more dangerous.

Seek to persuade Trump’s strong to amend his approaches may seem a foolish task. But there is still time before Putin’s meeting with European leaders to use any cranes. They should appeal to Trump’s desire to avoid anything closer to the American chaotic retreat of Afghanistan during the Biden era, and urge to follow any peace plan in Ukraine several major principles.

First, Ukraine, and European actors should be part of the negotiations from the beginning. The goal must be a viable Ukrainian state; Kyiv should not be pushed to a compromise that would show her survival. Moreover, you should support any payment for the truce through the “peace through the power” of Trump with a campaign – with the clarification of the United States and the European Union to clarify military support to Kev if Putin is not ready to agree to a just peace.

Western allies in Ukraine should make the most of the bargaining chips that still have – especially the sanctions that Putin worries about seeing. Europe has benefited here because it carries the bulk of the frozen Russian origin, a major Russian market. European leaders must explain that they will not adhere to any promise to reduce the sanctions conducted by the talks that were not part of it – and to link any lifting to the concessions from Moscow. Regarding the results, the final status of any Ukrainian region should be opened by Russia. If the NATO membership in KyIV is not possible, the equivalent security guarantees, with the presence of Western soldiers on the ground, should be on the ground, that is, a deal.

However, it was already clear that Europe would have to provide the largest part of Ukraine security arrangements. Trump’s comments this week reach acute ribs for European leaders; Warning that they can no longer overcome the efforts made to raise defense spending and its production and rebuild their forces. The American security umbrella that they made for decades is no longer no longer an ordeal. Now they must be urgently exposed to their own building.