Peace in Ukraine remains just a promise

The only objective that European leaders achieved two days ago in Washington was the "Bodyguard" mission. At the meeting with Donald Trump, seven of the most powerful European leaders gathered around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to protect him from the bullying he suffered during his first meeting with the US president and Vice President JD Vance on February 28, 2025.

Now, in the Oval Office, Donald Trump surprised with a much more polite attitude than the "European security forces” gathered around Volodymyr Zelensky feared, and even complimented the Ukrainian leader on the suit he wore at the meeting at the White House, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz was noted by the US president for the bronze medal he earned during the recent vacation that the German leader interrupted to be present at the meeting in the US.

In front of Trump, European leaders showed unity in pushing the topic of security guarantees that Western states would follow to the top of the meeting agenda to grant Ukraine guarantees at the end of the conflict with Russia that will also be supported by the US However, the details of these guarantees would be established by Secretary of State Marco Rubio together with the 30 states of the "Coalition of the Willing", after they will be materialized, in the next ten days, by European leaders.

The meeting also discussed the possibility of a summit meeting between Putin and Zelensky, which would represent a huge step towards a possible armistice and perhaps even peace. However, suspicions persist as long as President Donald Trump remains unpredictable and as long as no one can rely on the promises of Vladimir Putin, who, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, does not seem willing to conclude peace, but wants the war in Ukraine to continue.

Western media claim that one of the most anticipated international meetings since the beginning of the war in Ukraine took place in Washington, but the conclusions are far from bringing peace, because although world leaders sat down at the same table, made firm statements and spoke about the desire for peace, in reality the summit did not produce any concrete results. The war in Ukraine continues, and key points, from security guarantees to the status of the occupied territories, remain unresolved.

Donald Trump tried to play the role of mediator and announced that he was preparing a direct meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, but the Kremlin did not confirm anything. The Ukrainian leader once again expressed his willingness to sit down with Putin without preconditions, while Moscow insists that certain fundamental issues must be clarified before a discussion at the presidential level. This difference in approach shows that although diplomacy is moving, concrete steps are missing.

The topic of security guarantees for Ukraine dominated the discussions. NATO avoided promising Kiev a quick accession, but left open the idea of commitments similar to Article 5. Emmanuel Macron spoke of reassurance troops at sea, on land and in the air, but Moscow reacted immediately, warning that it would never accept NATO soldiers on Ukrainian territory. Germany, through Chancellor Friedrich Merz, reaffirmed its support for Kiev, but admitted that Berlin had not yet made a clear decision on a possible participation with troops. Moreover, according to Reuters and the American and German press, Ukraine has committed to buying US weapons worth $ 100 billion in exchange for the US providing it with the necessary security guarantees.

The question of a ceasefire remains suspended. Trump has abandoned the idea of an immediate break after talks with Putin, and Zelensky has withdrawn his condition that a truce precede a meeting with the Kremlin leader. Merz was clear: without a ceasefire, future negotiations cannot have a real basis. However, there is no peace in sight on the front, as long as Russia, immediately after the meeting at the White House, continued to bomb Ukrainian towns with missiles and drones.

The most delicate point in the issue of concluding a peace agreement remains that of the occupied territories. Russia demands that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the areas of Donetsk and Luhansk that it still controls, while in Kiev the Constitution prohibits any cession of land. Moscow is speculating on a possible territorial exchange, by giving up some partially occupied regions, but Zelensky categorically rejects any form of compromise on this issue.

As for the reactions of European leaders, they were divided at the end of the Washington summit. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke of exceeding expectations, and Mark Rutte called the American involvement a "turning point". In contrast, the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, warned that Putin's strategic objectives had not changed: the Kremlin wants to divide the West and deprive Ukraine of sovereignty. Emmanuel Macron maintained a reserved tone, emphasizing that although the summit was a step forward, the real results remain uncertain.

Thus, the Washington meeting, although announced as a historic moment, ended with a bitter balance: many promises, many declarations, but no clear solution for peace. Ukraine remains on the battlefield, Europe remains on alert, and world diplomacy continues to search for the path to an armistice that still seems far away.