LEADERS in the European countries are feeling sidelined by the United States in the critical matter of starting peace talks between Russia and Ukraine as the US President Mr. Donald Trump has pushed for a direct dialogue with Moscow through his aides. The move has rankled all European nations who are now huddling together to devise new strategies where Ukraine would also be part of the process initiated by Mr. Trump. Though the White House has sought to quell Europe’s concerns by holding bilateral phone calls with their State leaders, there is a growing feeling in the world that Mr. Trump is determined to take the process ahead in his own cavalier manner. It is one concern with a lot of side-effects for the entire world as the US and Europe might develop a frosty relationship in many other areas after Mr. Trump’s move.

 

The European nations were at the forefront, along with the United States under former President Mr. Joe Biden, to support Ukraine after the military invasion by Russia nearly three years ago. The joint front was active in giving all help to Kyiv to put up a fight against the mighty Russian forces. It had its effect on the war when Ukraine made some significant gains in territories claimed by Russia and then also inflicted some damage on Russia to score some brownie points. The US was also in an overdrive to corner Russia by imposing heavy sanctions as European countries decided to halt purchase of Russian oil. The move, though, had little effect in stopping the war with Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin upping the ante by changing goalposts. It was evident that Europe and the US, under Mr. Joe Biden, had failed to find a breakthrough. In this light, the latest effort by Mr. Trump looks a different approach to bring the two warring nations to the negotiation table and it also looks another attempt by the US President to corner all the glory as a peacemaker. If the European nations are feeling left out of the entire exercise then their grudge is justified. For, a truce talk with only one party in the conflict is never advised as it reeks of favouritism. Mr. Trump does have a fantastic relationship with Mr. Putin.

 

The manner in which Mr. Putin accepted the steps taken by the US President shows that he, too, is willing to cede the importance to his friend and hammer out a peace deal on his own terms. It would not have been possible for Russia to wriggle out with a respectable exit from the conflict had the negotiations were being carried out by some European nation. For the US and Mr. Trump, the peace talks will come with a big bonus as it gives extra credibility to the super power as the last word in any major issue and adds special aura to the POTUS as a man who can get things done, in his own style and on his own terms without sharing limelight. Despite the White House assurance to make all the stakeholders equal partners in the proposed truce deal, the fact remains that the US is out to eat the cake by itself. However, in the process Mr. Trump must not cut a deal without any say from Ukraine. The tiny nation has faced severe losses and is seeking an end to the conflict since last three years. Many leaders, including Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping and India’s Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, tried their best to open a channel for dialogue between Kyiv and Moscow but those efforts were met with limited success. Those efforts were aimed at providing equal footing to both Russia and Ukraine in the process. This time, the hasty moves by the United States give a feeling that it is ready to give a go-by to many valid concerns of Ukraine and its allies to provide an escape route to Mr. Putin. The peace talks cannot be turned into a one-way traffic. The world must press this need with the United States to find a middle-ground, and then peace.