Europe Can’t Leave Ukraine to Trump
Published in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
(Germany) on 27 October 2026
by Nikolas Busse (link to
original)
It makes sense that Norway and Finland are talking with Putin. It's supposed to be Merz’s task.
The Finnish president and the Norwegian prime minister are decided supporters of Ukraine; their countries are among the most reliable deliverers and providers of weapons to the country under attack. They have now done something that this camp in Europe, which is still much larger than that of the Kremlin’s friends, should have done long ago: they have sought dialogue with Vladimir Putin.
For two years, Europe has looked on as Donald Trump has negotiated with Putin over Ukraine and thus over the state of security in Europe. That itself is not a good development. One should, if possible, be sitting at the table when decisions are being made about one’s continent.
Europe Is Not a Neutral Intermediary
Above all, however, Trump is no advocate of European interests. He wants to do business with Russia, also in the literal sense; Ukraine plays a secondary role for him. The Europeans have another interest: they must contain Russia and thus keep Ukraine as strong as possible.
Whether Alexander Stubb and Jonas Gahr Støre’s phone call with Putin leads to anything is difficult to predict. But Russia’s situation is definitely not as rosy as Kremlin propaganda is painting it. They did it right; beforehand, they talked with Volodymyr Zelenskyy (and the Americans), and they emphasized that they are on Kyiv’s side. Europe is not a neutral intermediary, as some in Germany dream about; instead, it needs to put its weight behind a solution that satisfies the security interests of Ukraine and Europe alike.
Stubb and Støre themselves say that they didn’t speak for Europe; they are especially concerned about the Baltic region. That is a thinly veiled reference to the current lack of leadership in Europe. Mid-sized powers should really be taking care of such questions. Emmanuel Macron is basically history, Andy Burnham doesn’t have the profile yet, and the German “foreign chancellor” is spending these days that are so decisive for Europe and Germany in Asia. That’s one way to make things easy for Putin and Trump.
*Editor’s note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
The Finnish president and the Norwegian prime minister are decided supporters of Ukraine; their countries are among the most reliable deliverers and providers of weapons to the country under attack. They have now done something that this camp in Europe, which is still much larger than that of the Kremlin’s friends, should have done long ago: they have sought dialogue with Vladimir Putin.
For two years, Europe has looked on as Donald Trump has negotiated with Putin over Ukraine and thus over the state of security in Europe. That itself is not a good development. One should, if possible, be sitting at the table when decisions are being made about one’s continent.
Europe Is Not a Neutral Intermediary
Above all, however, Trump is no advocate of European interests. He wants to do business with Russia, also in the literal sense; Ukraine plays a secondary role for him. The Europeans have another interest: they must contain Russia and thus keep Ukraine as strong as possible.
Whether Alexander Stubb and Jonas Gahr Støre’s phone call with Putin leads to anything is difficult to predict. But Russia’s situation is definitely not as rosy as Kremlin propaganda is painting it. They did it right; beforehand, they talked with Volodymyr Zelenskyy (and the Americans), and they emphasized that they are on Kyiv’s side. Europe is not a neutral intermediary, as some in Germany dream about; instead, it needs to put its weight behind a solution that satisfies the security interests of Ukraine and Europe alike.
Stubb and Støre themselves say that they didn’t speak for Europe; they are especially concerned about the Baltic region. That is a thinly veiled reference to the current lack of leadership in Europe. Mid-sized powers should really be taking care of such questions. Emmanuel Macron is basically history, Andy Burnham doesn’t have the profile yet, and the German “foreign chancellor” is spending these days that are so decisive for Europe and Germany in Asia. That’s one way to make things easy for Putin and Trump.
*Editor’s note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
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