Europe must strengthen Ukraine for Putin to take negotiations seriously – German expert
Negotiations aimed at achieving peace, including those scheduled soon in Geneva, only give Vladimir Putin time to continue the war and serve as a way for him to prevent Europeans from militarily strengthening Ukraine.
German political scientist and managing partner of the Berlin think tank Liberale Moderne Ralph Fücks said this in a comment to Ukrinform.
"This only gives Putin time to continue his war of destruction and prevents Europeans from truly making all efforts to militarily strengthen Ukraine, which is the only path to peace," Fücks said.
He believes it is obvious that Putin is not interested in peace. "The Russian leader will take negotiations seriously only when he is on the defensive militarily," the expert said.
According to Fücks, U.S. President Donald Trump merely wants to make a deal with Putin, ideally before the U.S. midterm elections. "He wants to be able to present himself as a peacemaker at Ukraine's expense, and so he simply pressures Zelensky – the one who is being attacked," Fücks said.
However, Europeans could do much more, he said, such as protecting the airspace, at least over western Ukraine, from Russian drones and missiles. They could supply Ukraine with long-range guided missiles, such as Taurus, which could be used to strike Russian military infrastructure deep inside Russia. They could finally "paralyze" Russia's shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea and thereby further reduce the Russian regime's oil revenues.
"All of this would likely change Putin's calculations. So we have levers of influence that we are not using, either because we are afraid of being drawn into the war or because we do not want to disrupt negotiations, and that is exactly the essence of Putin's calculation," the expert said.
He stressed that Europeans finally need not only to say the right things but also to act. "So far, at various conferences, such as the recently concluded Munich Security Conference, they proclaim that '‘we stand with Ukraine, we must do everything possible for Ukraine.' But in reality, very little is happening," Fücks said.
He stressed that looking at which European countries provide Ukraine with military support, it becomes clear that Germany and the United Kingdom provide a lot, but measured against GDP, the Scandinavian countries, the Baltic states, and the Netherlands are much more resolute than Germany. Not to mention France. Even Poland has reduced its support.
"So among Europeans there is such a gap between words and actions that it is hard to understand. We need a European Coalition of the Willing, which will take the initiative and not wait for others, and also not wait for Trump," the expert said.
He added that Europeans will be taken seriously only when they begin acting in this way. "Currently, Europeans are really not at the negotiating table. But we are not at the negotiating table because neither Trump nor Putin actually take us seriously. And that is our fault," Fücks said.
As reported, the next round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia is scheduled for February 17-18 in Geneva.
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