Ukraine’s and Europe’s security are at stake in Trump’s mid-term sell-off

Warsaw, from our correspondent. Donald Trump has made one of his cryptic remarks regarding a ‘major deal’ with Russia that would affect not only Ukraine but also ‘the whole of Europe’. Speaking to journalists at the White House, the U.S. President said he had met with the Russian delegation visiting Washington to celebrate, alongside First Lady Melania, the evacuation of Oleshky (the Ukrainian town occupied by the Russians, rendered uninhabitable by them and now touted by Russian propaganda as an example of Russia’s desire for peace), but not the Ukrainian delegation visiting for the same reason; he spoke of the major agreement; and he downplayed Vladimir Putin’s violence against Ukrainian civilians (53 dead in the attack on Zaporizhzhia alone, targeting an aid distribution centre) by saying that many Russian civilians are also dying in this war.

In Kyiv, caution and concern regarding the Trump administration continue: the US Congress has turned Democratic and may, as many hope, resume financial aid to Kyiv and perhaps call to account the Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for their actions, but the sell-off of Ukraine (and Europe) midway through the term shows no sign of stopping. Reuters reported the words of Denys Sienik, chargé d’affaires at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington: the contract with Starshield expires at the end of the year, and a request to negotiate a new one urgently has already been sent. 

However, the entire Starshield and Starlink affair remains shrouded in silence and denial, following the scaling back of the satellite communications system on the Ukrainian front for many days; the episode stands as a warning for the future: the worst-case scenario, with this America, could well happen. The ‘big deal’ mentioned by Trump is further confirmation of this: the president’s announcements cannot be trusted – he claimed that two imaginary energy truces had already been negotiated – but his determination to align himself with Vladimir Putin is undeniable. Jared Kushner has provided details of the agreement that would affect the whole of Europe: this framework agreement on the security of the European continent, discussed in recent days within various European and NATO bodies and in various cities, provides for permanent security consultations, communications on ongoing crises, greater military transparency, risk-reduction measures and long-term pacts for European security and stability. The convergence with Russian demands – NATO’s return to its 1997 borders – is defined by the fact that Russia, whose all-too-explicit aim is to dismantle this security architecture, may also have a say in the construction of Europe’s security architecture.

It is not only Ukraine that is being sold off by the Americans; Europe is too. Yet Ukraine is bearing the brunt of the consequences, and is nevertheless preparing for next week’s talks with the Americans and Russians, with the hope of negotiating at least an energy truce whilst battling power cuts and water shortages.