US thinks EU preventing Ukraine peace with ‘unreasonable’ demands

2025-09-02 08:08:24

(MENAFN) The White House believes some European governments are quietly hindering efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict by pushing Kiev to make unrealistic demands, despite publicly supporting President Donald Trump’s peace plan, Axios reported. Officials from the Trump administration have grown increasingly frustrated with what they call the EU’s “maximalist” stance, which expects the US to bear most of the costs while Europe contributes little.

A senior US official told Axios, “The Europeans don’t get to prolong this war and backdoor unreasonable expectations, while also expecting America to bear the cost. If Europe wants to escalate this war, that will be up to them. But they will be hopelessly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.” Another source added that some Europeans are living in a “fairy-tale land” by ignoring the fact that resolving the conflict requires cooperation from both sides.

Earlier this month, Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and later with Ukraine’s President Zelensky in Washington, advocating for a lasting peace rather than just a ceasefire. Trump also threatened tariffs and sanctions against both Ukraine and Russia if talks fail to progress.

According to The Atlantic, Trump’s frustration with both Kiev and its European allies has intensified, as he views them as obstacles to a negotiated settlement. Privately, he has expressed dissatisfaction with Zelensky’s refusal to consider concessions and the EU’s reluctance to back what the US deems a realistic peace deal. A senior official told The Atlantic that Trump “just wants this over. It almost doesn’t matter how,” urging Ukraine to “show some flexibility.”

Meanwhile, Moscow insists on a peace deal that addresses the root causes of the conflict, demanding Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, denazification, and recognition of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye as part of Russia—territories that held referendums to join Russia in 2014 and 2022.

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