After three years of Russian-initiated destruction, the central issue is no longer just support for Ukraine, but bargaining for a way out of the conflict. Donald Trump is trying to impose his vision brutally, making American aid conditional on an agreement that would turn Ukraine into an "economic dependency" of the United States: the American president is demanding 50% of the revenue generated by Ukrainian rare materials as well as control of energy and port infrastructure, turning support into a political racket.
This approach obviously comes as a shock to Kyiv, where Zelensky categorically rejects the idea of handing his country over to American interests. This weekend, the Ukrainian president took advantage of a press conference organised down to the last millimetre to announce that he could leave power if that would enable Ukraine to achieve peace or join Nato. It was a way of taking the wind out of Trump’s sails, who has called Zelensky a "dictator" with no political mandate and who would like to hold on to power.
The allies have supported Ukraine to the tune of $200bn from the US and $132bn from Europeans, while the war has caused $152bn worth of damage to Ukraine, with reconstruction costs estimated at $486bn. Not to mention the 31,000 Ukrainian servicemen who died in the war, according to Zelensky, and the 138,500 to 200,000 Russian soldiers killed, according to various estimates. Between the need to rebuild a worn out country and the strategic interests of its allies, Ukraine finds itself negotiating not only its survival, but also its future on the world stage.
In Washington on Monday, French president Emmanuel Macron refused to allow Europe to be marginalised and insisted that the EU should be fully involved in the negotiations, despite the weakness of Germany, where the winner of Sunday's parliamentary elections, the conservative Friedrich Merz, will have to find at least one ally to govern. Paris is calling for an ambitious plan, not only to rebuild Ukraine, but also to strengthen Europe's defences. France and Germany are pushing for a European fund of several hundred billion euros to guarantee the security of the borders with Russia and prevent Europe from remaining a spectator in negotiations dictated by Washington and Moscow.
But some voices in Ukraine denounce this as a disguised barter, where Western aid is no longer a question of values and security, but a calculation based on the exploitation of the country's wealth. The EU has to deal with internal divisions between countries in favour of a rapid agreement, such as France and Germany, and those who fear a risky precedent. There is more at stake than Ukraine's future: Europe's credibility as a strategic global player is at stake. Firmly supporting Ukraine must remain a strategic imperative. Europe must not only continue to provide substantial military and economic aid, but also ensure that Ukraine can rebuild itself without being captured by outside interests ready to turn it into a mere supplier of resources. Now is not the time for hesitation, but for resolute and coordinated action.
Read the original French-language version of this news report /