The traditional Western world leaders are meeting in Paris on short notice, after a week where the US has in many ways pulled the rug from under them with clear stances at the security conference in Munich.
France's President Emmanuel Macron is hosting and receiving leaders from Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark, as well as the EU and NATO.
"Trump will win regardless"
In a week, it will have been three years since Russia launched a large-scale attack on its neighboring country. US President Donald Trump has promised to put an end to the raging war in no time.
Trump has turned directly to the sanctions-burdened Vladimir Putin. Already on Tuesday, American and Russian delegations are said to be meeting in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine, the EU, and other allies are so far left to watch. Where the starting point has long been that Russia's war of aggression should not be allowed to disrupt the rule-based world order, the US is now talking about the need for "realistic" concessions.
Many experts are wondering if it can be a real peace or rather a compromise-filled ceasefire that the US expects someone else to enforce. Many are also wondering if Russia is willing to compromise.
But Trump will win regardless, since he can say that he has tried, said Finnish-Russian political scientist Arkady Moshes to TT last week.
Pointed out another threat
US Vice President JD Vance urged Europe to start arming up at last week's meetings. He also spoke of a threat to Europe "from within" that worries him more than "Russia, China, or any other external actor".
Given the ongoing war, it is remarkable, according to emeritus professor of political science Jan Hallenberg.
It is also extremely remarkable that a representative of an administration that has damaged democracy more than any other administration has done in modern US history, should lecture Europe on how our democracies should function, he said to TT over the weekend.
The United Kingdom and Sweden are not ruling out sending soldiers to a potential peacekeeping mission in the future. Sweden, however, is not attending the meeting in Paris and is formally represented by Denmark.
