USA will keep Europeans waiting – Diepresse.com
The USA and Russia exchanged prisoners. In Brussels, “coalition of the willing” met. But without Washington, initiative could fail.
Brussels/Istanbul/Vienna. It is the second prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States since Donald Trump took office. Moscow handed over the US Russian Ballerina Xenia Karelina at Abu Dhabi Airport in the United Arab Emirates. The USA handed over the German-Russian Arthur Petrow.
Karelina had been sentenced to twelve years in prison in Russia for treason. She had donated around $ 50 for an American-Ukrainian charity organization. Petrow was in prison for 20 years in prison for illegal exports. The exchange should keep the communication channels between the two countries open. The interviews between the United States and Russia in the Russian consulate in Istanbul were also about bilateral communication. The new Russian ambassador in Washington, Alexander Dartschijew, and the European Commissioner in the US State Department, Sonata Coulter were present.
The normal functioning of the representations of both countries was the focus of the talks. In previous years, both countries had shown diplomatic staff from the opposite side, prohibited access to real estate and limited the radius of movement of embassy employees. It was expressly emphasized that the Ukraine War is “absolutely not” on the agenda. Dartschijew let the news agency Tass know that he wanted to work for the resumption of direct flights between the two states.
Shaky mission
Due to a lack of US support, another project stalls: the large-scale « »Coalition of the willing“, That of Keir Strander and Emmanuel Macron Driven initiative for a European peace force for Ukraine. Around 30 Minister of Defense met in the NATO-Ag headquarters in Brussels to outline outlines of such a mission. However, there are only minor willingness from European countries to send soldiers to Ukraine. From NATO circles it could be seen that the number of countries ready for participation lies in the single-digit range.
The plan of a peace force could not only fail to resist Moscow. If the United States is not ready for reinsurance for such a mission – a so -called security net consisting of reconnaissance data, logistics support and air defense – it is not very likely. So far, Washington’s promise is missing. Trump had previously excluded a posting of US soldiers to Ukraine.
Ramstein format without USA
This time also no US representative will be present at the meeting of the Ukraine contact group (the so-called Ramstein format), which starts in Brussels on Friday. The United States usually conducted the chair. Ukraine support packages are usually announced at these regular meetings. Washington’s absence indicates that Washington withdraws from the coordination of Ukraine military aid.
Advice on the raw material agreement between Ukraine and the USA in Washington also begin on Friday. The new template after the signing of the signing at the end of February should be a lot more extensive than the previous proposal. Trump sees the contract with a reimbursement of military aid that has already been made.
