Trump Says 'Pretty Strong Words' Exchanged with European Leaders on Ukraine

Is it time for Ukraine to make a deal, or are European leaders right to push for better conditions?

Published 21 hours ago

Trump Says 'Pretty Strong Words' Exchanged with European Leaders on Ukraine

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Above: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a Dec. 9 event in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

Ukraine has fought very bravely, but at the end of the day, Russia is a massive country and size wins. They've got the upper hand and they continue to take more territory. Zelenskyy needs to realize this and start playing ball. Especially as thousands of soldiers are dying each week and this war should've never happened in the first place.

Politico

Pro-Europe narrative

On more than one occasion, Trump has demonstrated that he's prepared to sell out Ukraine, expecting it to make unacceptable sacrifices to make a quick peace deal with Putin. As such, it falls on Europe to ensure Ukraine's ability to defend itself and its interests continue to be protected, even if Trump tries to blackmail them by pulling military assistance or intelligence.

Guardian

Establishment-critical narrative

European leaders are like insolent children. Despite pushing Ukraine into an unwinnable war with its neighbor, the Europeans are covering their eyes and ears after the war unsurprisingly did not go their way. They continue to pave the way for a continental war with Russia and expect the U.S. to underpin their defenses. The reality is that, like children, they're being cut out of the conversation.

Commersant