US President Donald Trump had a conversation with Vladimir Putin and said that they will «immediately» start peace talks regarding the war in Ukraine. Kremlin Press Secretary Dmytro Peskov has already confirmed Moscow’s readiness for such a process. Immediately after this conversation, Trump contacted the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi. However, the reaction of the international community was mixed. European mass media believe that Ukraine and Europe may find themselves on the sidelines of the negotiation process, because Washington and Moscow remain the main figures. What does the world media think about it? How do global analysts assess the prospects of such negotiations? Is there any chance that this phone call will actually start the process of ending the war, or is it just a political maneuver?
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung – Germany. If the leaked information about Trump’s decision is true, it will mean a serious break with the policy that the West has pursued until now — worries the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:
«There is no need to talk about the «victory» of Ukraine in such circumstances. If Moscow agrees to a cease-fire on these terms, it will undoubtedly be a great relief for the people of Ukraine and for the military personnel on both sides of the front. However, in geopolitical terms, such a scenario will most likely mean the beginning of a new phase of uncertainty in Europe — because then Russia will be able to gather its forces and then we will count on the fact that the NATO bloc reduced to European countries will no longer will be as serious an opponent as he was before.»
Eesti Päevaleht — Естония. In his article for Tallinn’s Eesti Päevaleht, the chairman of the Defense Committee of the Estonian Parliament, Kalev Stoicescu, regrets how events are now developing:
«No one is talking about Putin’s responsibility anymore. It is no longer considered necessary to set Russia conditions for these negotiations, let alone hold it accountable for aggression and war crimes. To meet Russia’s conditions would mean a gross disregard for international law, and even the rights of free states and peoples. … Everything can change, but for now Russia has every reason to be optimistic.»
La Repubblica – Italy. Rome’s La Repubblica advises Europe to think about Trump’s ideas:
«The division of Ukraine into two regions due to the armistice — like how Korea was divided along the 38th parallel of north latitude in 1953 — will become the most controversial point. Not least because the new border will stretch for more than 1,000 kilometers — and to monitor it, a large military contingent will be needed, which could come from Europe and Turkey. And from Italy too! Therefore, Europe must change his approach and begin to cooperate with the President of the United States.
… There is no doubt that Trump advocates a radical break with the past, but Europe is still interested in strengthening the Atlantic alliance, which means that it is necessary to accept the challenge and jointly develop an «unconventional» approach — to find a way out of conflicts that have not yet been resolved
there was a decision».
Avvenire — Italy. The approaches of Putin and Trump complement each other as best as possible, laments the Milanese Catholic newspaper Avvenire:
«They will talk about negotiations, peace and new agreements. But behind all this is hidden practically unveiled! — the production that both have already felt: new territories for the holy Mother Russia (Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol) and rare earth elements for Washington (lithium, beryllium, lanthanum, cerium, neodymium and hydrocarbons) worth 500 billion. This will be quite enough to compensate for the costs and squeeze the fruits of the 174 billion dollars that the US has spent so far to support Kyiv. This is the mercantile logic of Trump. This is the logic of Putin’s neo-imperialism.»
Le Temps – Switzerland. February 12, 2025 became the day that allowed us to understand the bitter obviousness of what is happening — this is the analysis of the Geneva newspaper Le Temps:
«Will Ukraine be invited to these peace talks? … «An interesting question,» Trump allowed himself such a comment, as if he had never thought about it. At the same time, he called on Zelensky to hold presidential elections in Ukraine — well, it’s a classic of Russian propaganda. Vladimir Putin is the record holder among dictators for the number of electoral walks! It makes no sense to wonder how ignorant and cynical Trump is. On the evening of February 12 In 2025, an obvious fact was revealed to us, which causes fear and concern: Ukraine and its European allies can no longer count on the United States.»
The Daily Telegraph — Great Britain. It is not appropriate for Europe to moan and complain now that Trump has taken the reins into his own hands, — London’s The Daily Telegraph believes:
«Of course, a number of European capitals will react with indignation to the prospect that the future of their continent will be decided without their direct participation. … But the heads of state and government, who, despite repeated warnings, have not managed to increase defense spending, are now It is long past time to realize that Europe must take responsibility for its own defense, and it was necessary to do this even when Barack Obama left unpunished the violations of the red lines he himself drew in Syria.
… The fact that this lesson remained unlearned indicates, rather, the mistakes of Europe, which are repeated every time, rather than the treachery of Washington.»
