White House: Europe blocking Ukraine peace
Shafaq News – Washington
Senior White House officials believe some European leaders are publicly backing US President Donald Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine, while privately undermining diplomatic progress made during recent talks with Russia, Axios reported on Saturday.
According to the outlet, the White House has asked the Treasury Department to prepare a list of sanctions Europe could impose on Russia, including a complete halt to oil and gas purchases and secondary tariffs targeting India and China.
Two weeks after Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US officials said they are frustrated by what they see as European allies pressuring Ukraine to hold out for “unrealistic” territorial concessions from Moscow. They argue this stance has stalled efforts to advance negotiations.
A senior US official told Axios that “the Europeans don’t get to prolong this war and backdoor unreasonable expectations, while also expecting America to bear the cost,” warning that if Europe chooses escalation, it would undermine the chances of peace.
The report said Washington views Britain and France as more constructive partners but accuses other European countries of avoiding responsibility while relying on US resources to sustain the war effort. Trump has stressed that progress requires a direct summit between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but Moscow has so far refused. Kyiv has rejected talks on territorial concessions unless Russia engages directly.
During a Cabinet meeting last week, Trump expressed visible frustration, describing the diplomatic deadlock as “posturing.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that while Trump wants the conflict to end, “the leaders of these two countries need it to end and must want it to end as well.”
Axios reported that Trump is considering stepping back from mediation until Moscow or Kyiv shows more flexibility. “We are going to sit back and watch. Let them fight it out for a while and see what happens,” a senior US official was quoted as saying.
European officials, however, denied suggestions of duplicity. A senior European diplomat told Axios there was no gap between their public and private positions, noting that EU states are already working on a new package of sanctions against Russia.
On Friday, Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met Zelenskyy’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak in New York to discuss a possible Putin-Zelenskyy summit. Yermak invited Witkoff to Kyiv, but no significant progress was reported.
