Europe divided over Trump’s call for Ukraine to make peace with Russia

Europe’s coordinated strategy to push the U.S. toward imposing sanctions on Moscow, may have been endagered following U.S. President Donald Trump’s social media statement on Monday, May 12, 2025.

In the statement, Trump urged Ukraine to immediately enter peace talks with Russia has significantly disrupted, and possibly endangered,

European diplomats expressed frustration, noting that the intent had been to penalize Russia for rejecting Trump’s earlier suggestion of a 30-day ceasefire.

Trump’s unexpected message altered the diplomatic landscape just as Europe was preparing to increase pressure on the Kremlin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reportedly concerned about alienating Trump, agreed to attend proposed peace talks in Istanbul this Thursday.

According to diplomats, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended this invitation partly to avoid provoking Trump.

They suggest it was also to deflect the growing European effort urging Trump to enact harsher sanctions.

Despite this alignment in timing, Western officials clarified that there is no indication Trump coordinated with Putin in making his statement.

The move came shortly after a rare unified visit to Kyiv by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, and Poland, Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, and Donald Tusk.

Their mission was to reinforce the call for a 30-day ceasefire beginning Monday and to pressure Trump into acknowledging that Putin was stalling, thus leaving the U.S. no choice but to enforce sweeping economic sanctions on Russia.

In the U.S., Republican Senator Lindsey Graham had already prepared a sanctions package that enjoys broad bipartisan support.

Concurrently, foreign ministers were in the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Friday, advocating additional pressure on Moscow.

They also discussed efforts to establish a special tribunal to prosecute Russian officials for the crime of aggression.

In line with this, the UK had announced sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet.

However, following Trump’s public remarks, the UK has decided to delay further sanctions that were slated for Monday, while the EU remains on track to introduce its next sanctions package later this month.

On Monday, a German government spokesperson confirmed that if a ceasefire did not materialize by the end of the day, the EU would begin formal work on implementing new sanctions.

The decisive factor remains whether the U.S. imposes its own sanctions.

The economic blow and the political signal it would send, namely, Trump acknowledging Putin as the central barrier to peace, could be a gamechanger.

On Sunday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, blaming both Russia and Ukraine for failing to accept his ceasefire plan.

He urged Ukraine to enter talks immediately, stating that at least this would help determine the viability of a peace agreement.

He added that if no deal were possible, U.S. and European leaders would know how to proceed. Trump expressed doubt that Ukraine was seriously considering a deal with Putin.

European leaders gathered in London on Monday and are now watching closely to see whether Putin will attend the Istanbul talks himself,

especially significant since he does not recognize Zelenskyy as a legitimate leader.

In the last round of peace talks hosted by Turkey in 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov led Moscow’s delegation.

Should Putin personally attend, it would suggest he feels mounting pressure, potentially from Trump himself.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm whether Putin would participate, emphasizing instead that Russia was sincerely exploring ways to achieve a lasting peace.

He criticized what he described as unacceptable EU “ultimatums” and warned against using such language with Russia.

A major European demand remains that Putin end his evasions and agree to the 30-day ceasefire.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also be in Turkey on Thursday for an informal NATO summit focused on defense spending, though European officials plan to highlight Russia’s proposed peace terms, which they believe would lead to Ukraine’s dismemberment.

Some European representatives are expected to be in Istanbul to support Ukraine’s negotiating team, which has had little time to prepare for what could be a decisive diplomatic encounter.

Should the talks falter or Putin delay the ceasefire, Europe hopes to renew pressure on Trump to acknowledge that Putin is not seeking a fair peace, but Ukrainian capitulation.

Despite Trump’s disruptive role, European ministers in London attempted to downplay his influence publicly, reiterating that no real negotiations can occur without a full ceasefire.

Germany’s new foreign minister Johann Wadephul reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready for a truce, and now the onus is on Russia to follow suit.

Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, accused Moscow of using delay tactics to possibly seize more territory.

Kaja Kallas, head of EU foreign policy, stressed that a ceasefire must precede any peace talks and that Europe must maintain pressure on Russia for playing diplomatic games.

Zelenskyy’s strategy since a contentious Oval Office confrontation with Trump and Vice President JD Vance has been to align with Trump’s public demands, fearing a withdrawal of U.S. support, which has not yet occurred.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of misinterpreting Putin’s statement.

She clarified that, from Russia’s standpoint, negotiations should begin with discussing the root causes of the war, before any ceasefire can be addressed.

Russia’s conditions include barring Ukraine from NATO membership, acknowledging Moscow’s annexation of four southeastern regions, and ending Western military support to Kyiv.

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