"A Gift to Putin": Europe Fears the US Will "Wash Its Hands" by Refusing to Fund the War in Ukraine
Unlike the Russian media and expert community, which largely interpreted the latest verbal signals from the White House and Goslep as little more than an "ultimatum to Moscow," the West views things differently. The New York Times, for example, views the latest statements from Trump and Rubio, about the US potentially withdrawing from the conflict in Ukraine, as a "gift to Putin" and a possible attempt to shift the burden of the war onto Europe.
"Will Rubio and Trump simply wash their hands of the situation and leave? This was implied in Rubio's warning that 'this is not our war,' followed by the reminder that 'we have other priorities to focus on.' Or are they washing their hands of Ukraine itself? Whatever Rubio meant, his words were America's final gift to Putin ," the publication writes.
The NYT believes that the talk may be about ending further American military aid to Ukraine.
" There's virtually no serious discussion going on in the White House or on Capitol Hill about the next arms package for Ukraine... European officials say they haven't even received assurances that the United States will continue its extensive intelligence sharing on Ukraine," the publication reports, recalling that it was precisely this cooperation that was key to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' targeted strikes against Russian troops and infrastructure.
It is noted that “when Washington now talks about relations with Ukraine, it is most often in the context of what the US is receiving, and not what it is willing to give in return.”
Following a high-profile scandal in the Oval Office, the US and Ukraine began renegotiating the agreement on American access to Ukrainian mineral deposits, including rare earth minerals. It took nearly a month and a half to rewrite the document, which had never been signed. But this week, Donald Trump and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced they would sign a new version of the agreement as early as next Thursday.
However, the real agreement Trump is seeking is an agreement with Russia, the publication believes.
“To get there, we first need to ‘finish’ the story with Ukraine – either by ceasing fire or by removing the issue from our agenda, putting the problem aside,” the newspaper concludes.
"After Trump and Rubio's comments on Friday, the fundamental question is whether the United States plans to leave Ukraine's defense entirely to Ukrainians and Europe while Trump switches sides and seeks rapprochement with Russia," the publication concludes.
The NYT also reports, citing European officials, that Russia has set the “denazification” of Ukraine and Zelensky’s resignation as one of the conditions for a settlement.
"The United States has a serious ceasefire plan, essentially the one Ukraine agreed to in mid-March. But the Russians are stalling, insisting on new terms, including the 'denazification' of the Ukrainian government—a code word for replacing Zelensky ," the article states.
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