With Trump selling Ukraine out, Europe has a very narrow window to act decisively in Ukraine’s defense, and its own.
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Just hours after a theatrical phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian cities were under attack by Russian drones. Putin not only made Trump look foolish after telling him during the phone call that he was ready to stop the attacks against Ukrainian electrical installations and power plants, but he also asserted his dominance over Trump by making the president wait an hour before coming online.
The timing for the call was no accident. The call coincided with the anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea 11 years ago. That occupation has been defined for more than a decade by concentration camps, forced disappearances, and the torture of Ukrainians.
While Ukraine fights for its survival, Trump continues to play along with Russian propaganda in the hope that he’ll eventually get a concession of some sort from Putin.
Despite Trump’s somewhat diminished optimism, the “ceasefire” discussion between Putin and Trump is more a smokescreen than an indication that Russia is willing to accept anything other than a de facto annexation of its neighbor.
On the call, Putin agreed to a “partial ceasefire” that would involve pausing missile strikes against Ukraine’s energy and infrastructure. But that doesn’t mean much, since Russia’s strategic targets have always included Ukrainian homes, hospitals, schools, and playgrounds. Moscow’s ultimate goal still appears to be to erase Ukraine, piece by piece.
This isn’t a negotiation — it is a direct attempt to force Ukraine to its knees while reestablishing US-Russia ties on Putin’s terms.
If Russia truly wanted peace, it could withdraw its troops from Ukraine at any moment. That is not happening. Instead, it’s not clear whether Trump’s ultimate goal is ending the war or reestablishing economic ties with Moscow. In short, is prioritizing Putin’s interests over Ukraine’s sovereignty and America’s alliances more important to Trump than finding a solution that Ukraine can accept?
American media is not helping Ukraine when its headlines parrot Trump and Russia’s statements at face value rather than questioning their true intent. Failing to recognize this sham diplomacy for what it is — an orchestrated propaganda stunt — is not helping the situation.
The Call Was a Show
Just a day before Trump’s phone call with Putin, two possibly connected events took place. First, information leaked that Trump was considering having the US acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory — a move that would be illegal under international law and serve as a direct endorsement of Russia’s 2014 illegal annexation. Second, Putin signed a decree allowing a US hedge fund to invest in Russian companies, marking a major shift in his long-standing economic blockade against “unfriendly” nations.
Both events appeared to signal that the Kremlin sees an opportunity to revive business ties with the US under Trump’s leadership. While Trump pretends to be discussing a “peace plan,” what’s actually happening is a very public reestablishment of US-Russia economic ties — all at Ukraine’s expense.
What is really at stake here is not diplomacy or an attempt to end the war; it’s really about lifting sanctions, reviving business deals, and allowing Russian oligarchs and state-backed enterprises to regain access to American capital.
Trump is not brokering peace — he’s brokering Moscow’s return to the global economy. If that involves selling out Ukraine, well, that’s just too bad.
Russia’s Demands
During his call with Trump, Putin laid out a series of unachievable demands that amount to nothing less than Ukraine’s surrender:
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- The West must halt all military aid and intelligence sharing, leaving Ukraine defenseless. “The key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict and working towards its resolution through political and diplomatic means should be the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv.”
- Ukraine must stop mobilizing troops, even as Russia continues its genocidal war.
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Putin even threw in a bizarre bonus, proposing that Trump support organizing hockey matches between Russian and American players in the NHL and KHL — as if that somehow balances out his demands for Ukraine’s capitulation. And, unsurprisingly, Trump agreed.
This isn’t a negotiation — it is a direct attempt to force Ukraine to its knees while reestablishing US-Russia ties on Putin’s terms. Trump isn’t just appeasing Putin; he’s openly collaborating with him to advance Moscow’s agenda while treating Ukraine’s sovereignty like a bargaining chip.
Meanwhile, in the days leading up to Trump’s call with Putin, Trump’s State Department cut funding for tracking an estimated 20,000 kidnapped Ukrainian children. Trump also pulled back from an international group investigating Russian war crimes.
The Hague-based International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine — which investigates war crimes tied to Putin and his allies — will now proceed without US support. Additionally, Trump is scaling back the Justice Department’s War Crimes Accountability Team, weakening efforts to prosecute atrocities committed by Russia during its full-scale genocidal invasion — as Ukraine investigates over 150,000 possible war crimes.
Follow the Money
As Trump continues to throw Ukraine under the bus, his allies are quietly working behind the scenes to reestablish US-Russia financial ties. According to Bloomberg, Russian representatives have already begun discussing renewed energy cooperation, with state-controlled Gazprom reportedly in talks with American contacts.
It seems fairly apparent that Trump’s goal isn’t peace — it’s restoring business deals with Russia and rehabilitating Putin on the world stage, all while giving Russia free rein in Ukraine and beyond. This is the same playbook as Trump’s first term: undermine US alliances, weaken NATO, and enable Russia’s expansion. But then we had guardrails.
Trump’s long-standing financial ties to Russian interests — dating back to the 1980s and his 1987 Moscow trip exploring real estate ventures and subsequent reliance on Russian investments over the past several decades — underscore his true motivations: prioritizing his own business dealings over American security and global stability.
Europe Must Step Up
While Putin, Trump, and China’s Xi Jinping plot to carve up the world, Europe must recognize the stakes and act decisively.
If Ukraine falls, Russia is not likely to stop — it will march on other European capitals. With the US retreating under Trump, Europe must step in to ensure Ukraine’s victory and prevent further Russian bloody expansion.
The only potential upside to entertaining the Putin-Trump sham is that it buys Europe a sliver of time — time that must be used wisely. This is a moment for Europe to ramp up weapons production, fortify defenses, and establish an independent strategy to counter Russia’s ambitions. The window is small, and the cost of inaction is catastrophic.
Olga Lautman is an investigative researcher and senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis. This column is adapted from her substack, Unmasking Russia.
