Trump, not Russia, is Europe's formidable foe in Ukraine peace advocacy

Despite leaders' efforts, US administration seems to be sticking to its pro-Russia stance

- Jonathan Eyal Global Affairs Correspondent

US President Donald Trump meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in October. Mr Trump's personal hostility to Mr Zelenskyy has recently resurfaced in public, with the US President falsely claiming that Mr Zelenskyy "did not even read" the latest US peace proposals. Europe can do little should Mr Trump decide in the coming days to impose a strategic defeat on Ukraine by forcing the country into a disadvantageous deal with Russia.

(PHOTO: AFP)

Two deadlines now loom large: US President Donald Trump's apparent demand that a ceasefire should be in place "by Christmas", and the summit of leaders of the European Union on Dec 18, when they will face critical decisions on how they should fund their support for Ukraine.

All European leaders remain apprehensive about last-minute surprises from the US administration. There are persistent rumours that Mr Trump will unveil a new set of US proposals to end the Ukraine war that will negate, yet again, Europe's efforts.

And there are fears of new spats with the US over European plans to seize Russia's sovereign wealth fund investments and hand over the money to Ukraine.

The latest round of frenzied diplomacy was unleashed on Nov 18, when a supposedly new US "peace plan" to end the war was leaked to the media.

It was, to all intents and purposes, not a document to create peace but a US call for Ukraine's surrender, and mainly on Russia's terms. Indeed, some of the plan's passages were simply - and poorly - translated into English from their original draft in Russian.

Pressure from Europe, but also apparent misgivings from US diplomats led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, resulted in the plan's withdrawal and new negotiations with the Ukrainian government.