Wake up, Catholics: Trump and Putin want to wipe Europe off the map

Rome. Whilst much of the Italian Catholic press, driven by a long-standing and deeply rooted pacifist ethos that rejects all forms of war on idealistic grounds and is convinced that the capitalist and exploitative West bears much of the blame for global upheavals, there is one exception. It is Il Regno, the esteemed magazine founded in 1956 by the Dehonians, which began as a ‘magazine of thought and information’ and aims to stimulate reflection among what it describes as ‘the most vibrant Catholic laity’. It is a periodical situated within the sphere of democratic and reformist Catholicism, one that engages in dialogue and is open to the ‘new’ demands of a Church that is not static and must always remember that it exists in the world, even when the world is not an earthly Eden. 

In the latest issue, which also announces the magazine’s forthcoming conference in Camaldoli (5–8 November, on the theme ‘Europe and the decline of the West’), editor Gianfranco Brunelli writes about peace and war, America, Russia and Ukraine. “Sacrificing the fate of forty million Ukrainians to the dictatorial expansionism of Vladimir Putin’s totalitarian regime for a few litres of diesel, promising protection to Ukraine in exchange for rare earths, forcing Europeans to buy American weapons to supply Ukraine’s defence: these are just business deals,” emphasises Brunelli, who continues: “The statements made by the US President on 9 October, announcing an oil deal with Vladimir Putin, go beyond mere business this time – a realm in which Trump appears to be driven by his own interests and those of his friends in every national and international negotiation. Not least because the price will not fall. There will be zero benefits. Blaming Zelensky for the Russian aggression and the rise in global fuel costs” “is part of his personal narrative. Election propaganda confirms the ‘post-truth’ or ‘alternative facts’ policy of Trump’s narrative, with which the tycoon won the presidential election and with which he is now attempting to limit the damage caused by his growing unpopularity ahead of the mid-term elections”.

Brunelli continues: “The new, announced era of economic cooperation with Moscow actually marks the resumption of US hostility towards Ukraine and Europe. Europe is not ready to act alone: it is lagging behind in terms of political unification, trade integration and common defence. Europe is fragile and could collapse at any moment. Although it seems a mystery that, despite being so fragile and threatened by internal and external difficulties and attacks (right-wing and left-wing populism and Putin’s hybrid war), Europe has survived thus far. The clown has dropped his mask. And what appears is a tragic face. Tragic and obscene. The agreement symbolises a return to the business and political deals struck between Putin and Trump in Anchorage on 15 August 2025. All the proposals put forward so far by the duo Kushner and Witkoff seem to have been drafted in Moscow and amount to Kyiv’s acceptance of unconditional surrender to Putin in exchange for so-called American protection. But Zelensky and Europe know full well that Trump’s word is worthless’. And whilst elsewhere people dwell on reflections regarding neutrality, the role of NATO, and making Kyiv an ‘open city’, the Kingdom gets to the heart of the matter, which is ultimately what matters: “Putin has never recognised Ukraine’s sovereign existence, has never wanted to meet President Zelensky, and has never wanted to engage in diplomatic dialogue or peace negotiations. Putin is keen to continue his war of aggression. Moscow has repeatedly made it clear that the ‘special operation’ will not end until all its objectives have been achieved. And that means the total conquest of Ukraine and the establishment of a puppet government. Meanwhile, Trump is demanding an end to President Zelensky’s term and new elections in a country at war, claiming that there is an agreement for an energy truce – a claim never confirmed by Moscow. Added to this picture – continues Gianfranco Brunelli’s editorial – are American threats to suspend the sharing of intelligence, which would prove disastrous for Kyiv’s ability to defend its cities from Russian bombardments, the main strategy of which is to target civilians and infrastructure. The true objective of Trump and Putin, in their nefarious pact, is the destruction of the European Union and the historical-political concept of Europe.”

The result of this would be as dramatic as it is predictable: “Con la loro vittoria finisce l’occidente. Trump, riconoscendo solo il primato della forza, tradisce la democrazia americana, la più antica del mondo, e la sua primogenitura; tradisce l’idea di cultura e di civiltà dell’Europa, senza la quale non vi è occidente”. This is what it means to call a spade a spade, without needing to resort to sociology or sophisticated geopolitical analysis and, above all, setting aside for a moment the increasingly self-serving pursuit of peace.