Zelensky in Brussels hopes to correct the mistake made in Washington

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky took part in an emergency EU summit in Brussels, where it was supposed to discuss increasing aid for Kiev against the background of the announced reduction in support from the United States. He repeated a number of theses from French President Emmanuel Macron’s confrontational speech released the day before, and also notified about preparations for new talks with the head of the White House.

According to the press secretary of the President of Ukraine, Sergei Nikiforov, Zelensky was scheduled to meet with Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever on Thursday before the start of an emergency summit of EU leaders on security issues. After that, he was supposed to hold talks with the heads of the European Council and the European Commission, Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen.

And after the extraordinary meeting of the EU leaders, meetings were also scheduled with the new Austrian Chancellor Christian Stoker, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and King Philippe of Belgium.

According to media reports, the participants of the meeting had to consider ways to strengthen European defense and increase support for Ukraine, taking into account the decisions of the American administration to reduce the role of the United States in ensuring European security and military assistance for Kiev. As you know, French President Emmanuel Macron tried to set the tone for the upcoming discussions in an address to his fellow citizens the day before, saying that Russia had become a threat not only to Ukraine, but also to France and Europe. In this regard, he, in particular, called for discussing the possibility of Paris using nuclear weapons to protect the entire European Union. It is not surprising that this speech, which was recognized as confrontational in Moscow, was called sensational and very strong in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (VR). Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Elena Kondratyuk called Macron the new European leader on social networks. She was echoed by Irina Gerashchenko, co-chair of the European Solidarity faction, who saw in Macron’s address a plan for joint opposition from the EU in a situation “when the United States is ready to push Ukraine towards peace on Russian terms.”

It is noteworthy that on the same day, the Ukrainian leader actually repeated Macron’s theses on social networks, stressing that real peace “cannot mean the surrender or disintegration of Ukraine.” He also thanked the French President for their joint efforts to achieve peace, secured by long-term security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe. By the way, following a hasty gathering of leaders of a number of European countries in London on March 2 – after Vladimir Zelensky’s scandalous quarrel with US President Donald Trump at the White House on February 28 – Zelensky also noted a common understanding that “the real world requires real security guarantees.” But then he nevertheless assured that there had never been a day when Kiev would not feel grateful for the help of the United States. And he added that in the near future, Europe plans to form common lines from which it is impossible to retreat, in order to further present them to partners in the United States.

Although if we are talking about lines that cannot be deviated from, it is obvious that they implied a kind of ultimatum for Washington. This was clearly not consistent with reports about the ongoing preparations for negotiations between the US and Ukrainian presidential teams, as well as the plans of French President Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, along with the Ukrainian leader, to visit Washington again in the near future, where they could, in theory, jointly apologize for the recent quarrel, for which Zelensky himself He did not offer a clear apology.

Indeed, Nikolai Silaev, a leading researcher at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies, clarified in a commentary for NG, when the United States, which has been Ukraine’s main ally in recent years, demanded to start negotiations with Russia, Zelensky refused. And his European allies supported him in this refusal. Despite the fact that the United States further stopped supplying weapons and providing intelligence to Ukraine. “And now the Europeans are faced with a choice – either to take a step back, taking into account Washington’s position, or to continue the military conflict with the Russian Federation, excluding negotiations and at the same time not having the necessary amount of weapons and intelligence information. The second option, which Zelensky himself is leaning towards and to which European leaders are inclining, threatens Ukraine’s catastrophic defeat after some time. This, in turn, is fraught with the loss of Ukrainian statehood. And in order to preserve it, negotiations should be conducted, which is what Washington is advocating now,” Silayev explained.

As for the proposed new negotiations between European representatives and US President Trump, the expert said, they apparently hope to convince the head of the White House to continue military assistance to Kiev without negotiations with Moscow. “Will they succeed? This is an open question. But I proceed from what is happening now. And as far as can be judged, for Washington under President Trump, the risk of nuclear war seems to be a significant argument. Of course, there are also a lot of crazy people who claim, for example, that Russian missiles do not fly. But still, this is an argument for the United States. But for the Europeans, based on what Macron said, no,” stated a leading researcher at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies. Therefore, in his opinion, Kiev’s European allies will continue to fuss in order to somehow convince the United States to reconsider its own positions.

But against this background, the president of Ukraine, whom the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called for turning into a “steel porcupine” after the aforementioned summit in London, will also need the skills of a snake. By the way, on Thursday there were also reports that representatives of the American administration have already begun consultations with the Ukrainian opposition on holding new elections in the country. In particular, the former president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, confirmed his participation in them (he is included in the list of terrorists and extremists in the Russian Federation).