Putin rejects talks: Europe's security depends entirely on Ukrainian soldiers

This confirms once again: Russia has no interest in ending the war.

Putin has never concealed that his goal extends beyond Ukraine to the broader redistribution of spheres of influence in Europe. A clear confirmation of this came on Monday when Russia proposed an amendment to the UN General Assembly resolution on "ending the Ukrainian conflict" by addressing its so-called "root causes." These "root causes" were explicitly outlined as early as 2021 — NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe.

Therefore, there are no real negotiations and there will be no real negotiations. Instead, we will see an endless process of “preparations for negotiations” that no one is actually going to conduct. Putin does not need this. And Lavrov says so directly.

The U.S. strategy in this situation is quite clear. They are trying to persuade Putin to negotiate — but in a way that doesn’t come at too high a cost for them. The Americans fully understand who the aggressor is, who is responsible for the war, and what should be stated in the UN General Assembly resolution. A look at Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speeches makes this evident, as he elaborates on these points in detail.

But Washington also understands that it lacks real leverage to force Putin into negotiations now. So, everything we see from their side is about creating an informational backdrop that won’t alienate the Kremlin but instead encourages it to make some concessions — simply because the new administration is "cool" and, unlike its predecessors, doesn’t personally offend Putin. This is a classic appeasement tactic, which has already had catastrophic consequences in European history during the 1930s and 1940s.

If this is the plan, its failure is already evident.

Putin still has no incentive to negotiate. The only thing he wants from Ukraine is capitulation, which would allow, among other things, the deployment of Russian military bases on the borders with Hungary and Poland. After all, in order to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” it is necessary to move further into Europe.

Everyone hopes to shift China’s role. Trump wants to pull Russia out of China’s grasp to weaken Beijing before negotiations. Others, on the contrary, seek to persuade China to pressure Russia into ending the war. This has given Russia room to maneuver between the U.S. and China, incentivizing not an end to the war, but its continuation.

Europe is currently facing two key questions:

• What can it do to support Ukraine?
• What can it do for its own security?

And the answer to both questions is the same — Europe’s security depends entirely on the Ukrainian soldier. Their ability to hold the front line determines how long European cities will remain protected from Russian glide bombs and Iranian Shaheds. The only way to prevent escalation is to maximize military aid to Ukraine. Today, the Ukrainian soldier is not just defending Ukraine but is a soldier of Europe’s army — the only force truly guaranteeing the security of the entire continent.

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About the author. Mykola Kniazhytskyi, journalist, Ukrainian MP

The editorial team do not always share the opinions expressed by the blog or column authors.