Europe Plans To Turn Ukraine Into ‘a Steel Porcupine’

Without American soldiers for “a human trip wire,” President von der Leyen of the European Commission called Sunday on the leaders of the continent’s largest nations to turn “Ukraine into a steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders.”Hopes for a South Korea-style human tripwire were dashed by Friday’s televised blowup at the White House between Presidents Trump and Zelensky. Seeking to salvage the trans-Atlantic relationship, Prime Minister Starmer said Sunday that he and top European leaders will soon clarify their request for American backing for a Ukraine peace plan. This is expected to involve continued American supply of satellite intelligence and logistics. New elements could be enforcement by the United States Air Force of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and a “backstop” of an American military reaction in the event Russia breaks an armistice. Any boots on the ground would be European. France and Britain are proposing a partial one-month truce between Russia and Ukraine that would not cover ground fighting, President Macron told the newspaper Le Figaro on Sunday.The implication from Sunday’s press briefings is that Sir Keir will take the lead in making the pitch to Mr. Trump. Mr. Zelensky would stay in the background. The American president owns two golf courses and a five-star hotel in Scotland, homeland of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump. Last week, Sir Keir extended to Mr. Trump a coveted invitation — a three-day state visit to meet King Charles III. Complete with a carriage ride and a lavish state banquet, the visit would make Mr. Trump the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch. Presidents Trump and Zelensky meet in the Oval Office at the White House February 28, 2025 at Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesFriday’s fracas at the White House brought into the public eye an ill will between the two leaders. It dates back to 2019. At that time, Mr. Zelensky, newly-elected, refused to open a corruption investigation against Hunter Biden, the son of Vice President Biden, the leading Democratic candidate in the 2020 election. Mr. Trump blames the ensuing congressional impeachment inquiry for contributing to his narrow re-election loss.On Sunday, a series of Republican politicians implied — or stated outright — that Ukraine’s peace prospects would improve were Mr. Zelensky to resign. This is unlikely. Two weeks ago, the Ukrainian leader’s “trust” rating was 57 percent. The White House fracas is believed to have boosted his ratings inside Ukraine.Late on Sunday, Mr. Zelensky said he would still be open to what he called “constructive dialogue” with America, and willing to return to the White House if Mr. Trump were to invite him, yet “I just want the Ukrainian position to be heard.” The Ukrainian president also signaled that he was open to signing the mineral pact that was apparently derailed by Friday’s quarrel at the White House.Mr. Zelensky added: “We want our partners to remember who the aggressor is in this war.”On Thursday, the leaders of the 27 nations of the European Union are to meet in Brussels for an extraordinary meeting to map out greater defense spending for continental security. As a whole, the nations are expected to increase defense spending by hundreds of billions of dollars. “After a long time of underinvestment,” Ms. von der Leyen told reporters Sunday, “it is now of utmost importance to step up the defence investment for a prolonged period of time.” In response, a group of elderly ladies, known as Putin’s Granny Squad, gathered yesterday in a Moscow park and burned an effigy of Ms. von der Leyen. One asked: “She’s stirring up the world. Why is she needed? She should be for peace. The EU should be disbanded — so much harm from it.”Prime Minister Starmer, front center, hosts the European leaders’ summit to discuss Ukraine, at Lancaster House, London, March 2, 2025. Justin Tallis/Pool via APBorrowing a slogan from President Trump, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, yesterday praised the American president’s “common sense” approach. He accused European countries of seeking to prolong the conflict by propping up Mr. Zelensky “with their bayonets in the form of peacekeeping units.”In Europe, many commentators predict a “post-NATO world.” In 1952, Lord Ismay, the first secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, defined the purpose of the alliance as: “Keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down.”Now, European newspapers are filled with speculation that the Trump Administration will pull American troops out. A former supreme allied commander, Admiral James Stavridis, warns: “We could be looking at the last days of NATO.”Fractures in the alliance are appearing. Over the weekend, privately held Norwegian fuel supplier Haltbakk Bunkers said that it would stop supplying United States Navy ships in response to the treatment of Mr. Zelensky at the White House. “Huge credit to the president of Ukraine for restraining himself and for keeping calm even though USA put on a backstabbing TV show. It made us sick… No Fuel to Americans,” the company said in a now deleted Facebook post.Norway shares with Russia a 122-mile land border and a 945-mile long maritime border. Norway’s defense minister, Tore Sandvik, quickly issued a statement: “American forces will continue to receive the supply and support they require from Norway.”Instead of containing Russia, Washington seems to have switched to a policy of letting Russia in. Two groups of American investors are working to restart Nord Stream 2, the Russia-Germany, trans-Baltic gas pipeline, the London Financial Times reported yesterday. Trump Administration officials reportedly see this as a carrot to get Russia to endorse a Ukraine peace deal.In another good will gesture, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered the United States cyber command to suspend all work against Russia, including offensive digital actions, the IT news site, the Record, reported on FridaySeparately, Reuters reported Friday that the Trump Administration is considering supporting an Israeli proposal to encourage Syria’s new government to allow Russia to retain its air and sea bases in Syria. Israel wants Russia to retain the bases to check the influence of Syria’s northern neighbor, Turkey.Offering cold comfort to rattled Europeans, Mr. Trump posted on his Truth Social network yesterday: “We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country — So that we don’t end up like Europe.”With Americans heading out and Russians coming in, Germans are showing signs of rising up. President Steinmeier said Saturday: “I never thought that one day we would have to protect Ukraine from the US.”Last week, Germany’s likely future chancellor, Friedrich Merz, asked to talk with Mr. Macron about nuclear weapons for the continent, the French president told Le Monde. France is the only European nation to hold non-NATO nuclear weapons — about 290 warheads. Germany hosts about 15 American nuclear bombs at its Büchel air base.Europe’s fast-changing geopolitical position prompted the European Commission’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, to post Friday on X: “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.” To this, a former president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, retorted: “The free world needs a new leader and his name is Vladimir Putin.”

Europe Plans To Turn Ukraine Into ‘a Steel Porcupine’

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