NYT: European efforts helped prevent a Putin-Trump deal on Ukraine

American journalist Michael Shear, writing for the New York Times, argues that the actions of European countries helped prevent a deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump on Ukraine.

“The United Kingdom, France, Germany, and other European countries formed a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ to try to protect Ukraine’s interests in any peace agreement, and worked behind closed doors to reconcile the Ukrainian and American presidents. These efforts helped prevent Putin from striking a deal with Trump at Ukraine’s expense,” Shear wrote.

At the same time, the journalist noted that Europe has still been unable to resolve the Ukrainian conflict in more than four years. Shear also noted that Trump has sidelined U.S. allies, preferring direct negotiations with Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier, Glenn Diesen, a professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, wrote that the European Union cannot allow the Ukrainian conflict to end, as it has no plan for a peaceful settlement.

On July 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Russia, during the meeting in Alaska, agreed to Trump’s proposals for settling the conflict in Ukraine, but that Europe and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are trying to talk him out of these steps.