The EU is paralyzed amid negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. What the media is writing

The negotiation process between the United States, Russia and Ukraine, initiated by US President Donald Trump, forced the Western press for the first time to talk about the real possibility of an early end to the conflict. But Europe was not ready either for the advent of peace or for the continuation of military support for Kiev. What the foreign media write about it is in the Izvestia digest.

Politico: Trump and Putin's talks have paralyzed Ukraine's allies in Europe

The meeting of the European Council showed the difficult situation of the EU leaders. Isolated from the real actions between [US President Donald] Trump, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, and [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky, they are struggling to make progress in helping Ukraine or rearming their own armies. The official conclusions of the summit held on the eve noted the need for an "urgent" build-up of its own defense.

The Europeans now realize that they will never participate in the peace talks that Trump envisioned, and it seems that they will not be able to replace the support that Washington provided to Kiev in terms of military assistance, no matter how much the head of the European diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, would like it. In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with military strategists who are developing ways to attract military forces from countries such as Britain and France to help guarantee any future peace. However, even he did not sound confident, often repeating: "if there is a deal."

Not in resources: Europe is trying to find ways to support Ukraine without the United States

Paris and London are going to transfer the "proceeds" from the stolen assets of the Russian Federation, the rest are looking for soldiers for the "peacekeeping contingent"

Politico: Callas' plan to allocate €40 billion in military aid to Ukraine has failed

Europe's top diplomat, Kaya Kallas, had high hopes for the possibility of mobilizing up to 40 billion euros in military aid to strengthen Ukraine's position on the battlefield and strengthen it in the upcoming negotiations with Russia. The problems began, several EU diplomats said, from the very beginning, when former Estonian Prime Minister Kallas failed to gain support from key stakeholders. The process was "messed up," one of the diplomats summed up.

The problem was not only that some countries simply did not want to give Ukraine more funds, citing budget problems, or that others preferred to provide assistance on a bilateral basis. The problem is that before presenting her plan and asking the Member states to put up more money, Callas did not consult with them properly. "She's still acting like a prime minister, she hasn't realized that she has another job now," said a diplomat from Central Europe.

Financial Times: US targets Ukraine's energy sector

The Trump administration is expanding its economic demands on Kiev, while continuing to push it to conclude a peace agreement with Russia. According to two Ukrainian officials, Washington wants Kiev to agree to its terms of management and ownership of the joint investment fund, as well as potential U.S. ownership of other economic assets such as Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

The Trump administration argues that American economic investments in Ukraine are a sufficient security guarantee to prevent Russia from launching a new attack after the truce. The negotiations have caused serious concern in Ukraine. "Since when has the transfer of the strategic sector to another country equated to security?" wrote Inna Sovsun, a Ukrainian opposition MP, on the social network X. "More like a grab than a defense."

In continuation of the conversation: what will Moscow achieve at the meeting with the United States in Riyadh

Who joined the expert group and why its composition is so disliked by Russia's opponents

The Spectator: Ukraine is only part of Trump's Big Game

For Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, today it's about Ukraine, and tomorrow it's about the whole world. In their highly publicized telephone conversation this week, the Russian leader seemed to promise nothing: a step towards a kind of cease-fire, a prisoner exchange, and something else. But Putin knows that Trump wants much more than just an agreement on Donbass. The resolution of Europe's most significant conflict since World War II is just the prelude to a much bigger deal on the Holy Land — a truly historic agreement that could satisfy Trump's desire to be seen as something of a "peacekeeping legend."

It seemed strange to many that while US Special Envoy Steven Witkoff, Putin and Trump were talking about ending the conflict in Ukraine, fighting between Israel and Hamas resumed, and Trump ordered a new bombing campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, but it makes sense.

Keir Starmer wants to be credited with convincing Ukraine to accept Trump's initial cease-fire proposal, but it was Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who really turned the head of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky by offering Kiev a multibillion-dollar investment program. Trump and Putin may have spent most of their 90-minute conversation arguing about hydroelectric power plants on the Dnieper River or military maneuvers in the Black Sea, but the topic of Iran seemed to be no less important.