‘It’s all theatre’: How are Europe and the US pulling apart on Ukraine?

Since their summit with United States President Donald Trump successful the White House connected August 18, Kyiv’s European and determination allies person begun to nail down commitments to a peacekeeping unit that would participate Ukraine aft a ceasefire is reached successful the warfare that Russia began 3 and a fractional years ago.

They purpose to cod those commitments by the extremity of the week.

Europe is besides pushing for further sanctions against Russia.

But the US is not connected the aforesaid leafage connected either issue.

Here’s what you should know:

What person countries promised?

So far, Estonia has said it was prepared to lend astatine slightest a subject portion to the peacekeeping force, and Lithuania had earlier announced it was acceptable to nonstop an unspecified fig of troops.

Romania said it would not nonstop troops, but would marque its airfields disposable arsenic bases for F-35 aerial patrols enforcing a no-fly portion implicit Ukraine. Turkiye is considering sending troops, and would assistance de-mine the Black Sea, Ukraine’s ambassador to Ankara said.

Colonel Andre Wuestner, the caput of the German Armed Forces Association, told the Reuters quality bureau that astatine slightest 10,000 troops would beryllium needed for an extended period.

“It won’t beryllium capable to person a fistful of generals and smaller subject units antheral a bid station successful Ukraine,” Wuestner said.

A nonmigratory holds his feline arsenic helium stands adjacent his flat gathering deed during a Russian drone and rocket onslaught successful Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine August 30, 2025 [Stringer/Reuters]

A apical precedence for the Europeans astatine the White House gathering was to perpetrate Trump to being progressive successful specified a force.

Trump had said connected August 18 that the US would participate, but not with troops.

Last month, The Financial Times reported that US officials precocious told their European interlocutors that the US would lend “strategic enablers”, specified arsenic intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, bid and control, and aerial defence assets.

Is a ceasefire and program for a peacekeeping unit viable?

“It’s each theatre. Every azygous European leader, including [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, has had to find a mode of keeping Trump connected side,” said Keir Giles, a Eurasia adept astatine Chatham House. “They’ve succeeded successful doing so, but it is astatine the outgo of suspension of reality.”

The thought of a ceasefire is not lone “entirely unachievable due to the fact that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is plainly not interested successful ending the fighting”, Giles told Al Jazeera, but it is besides undesirable.

“Everybody knows inactive that a ceasefire was among 1 of the worst-case imaginable outcomes for Ukraine earlier Trump arrived successful office,” helium said.

Ukraine and its European allies person repeatedly scoffed astatine a truce arsenic a accidental for Putin to reorganise his forces earlier attacking with renewed vigour. Trump, however, made a ceasefire his precedence past February.

“The request to humour Trump, and to play on with the phantasy mentation of world that drives the Trump world, means that they inactive wage articulator work to these ludicrous ideas,” said Giles.

Will Trump play shot with Europe?

Since August 18, Europe and Ukraine person been moving hard to propulsion Trump backmost successful their direction.

After gathering NATO main Mark Rutte successful Kyiv connected August 22, Zelenskyy said they had agreed connected the necessity of “Article 5-like guarantees” operating nether a blueprint that entails “a crystal-clear architecture of which countries assistance america connected the ground, which are liable for the information of our skies, which warrant information astatine sea”.

NATO’s Article 5 is the corporate defence clause: the thought that an onslaught connected 1 NATO subordinate is treated arsenic an onslaught connected all.

Would Trump hold to ‘Article 5-like guarantees’, entailing an automatic defence mechanics that would bring NATO forces into struggle with Russia?

“Even erstwhile Trump is sounding affirmative astir it, it’s incredibly vague, and it’s not wholly wide whether helium means what helium says,” said Giles.

“You tin ne'er beryllium definite with Trump. He is changeable,” agreed governmental idiosyncratic Theodoros Tsikas, but helium believes governmental world prevents Trump from straying excessively acold into Putin’s camp.

“First, helium wants the Ukrainian warfare to beryllium resolved, truthful helium tin proceed with an economical practice with Russia connected vigor and mineral wealth.”

Reuters revealed precocious past period that Russia and the US discussed concern deals parallel to the contented of Ukraine’s disposition successful a acme betwixt Trump and Putin successful Alaska connected August 15.

“These deals were enactment guardant arsenic incentives to promote the Kremlin to hold to bid successful Ukraine and for Washington to easiness sanctions connected Russia,” 5 sources told Reuters.

They included ExxonMobil re-entering a associated concern with Russian state elephantine Gazprom, Moscow buying US instrumentality for state liquefaction, and the US buying Russian ice-breakers.

Secondly, said Tsikas, Trump “wants to escaped up US troops successful Europe to recommit them to Asia”.

A pistillate cries astatine the tract of an flat gathering deed during Russian drone and rocket attacks successful Kyiv, adjacent a gathering lodging the section subdivision of the British Council, successful Ukraine, connected August 28, 2025 [Stringer/Reuters]

In performing this pirouette, “He can’t let Ukraine to illness successful his hands, due to the fact that helium volition person a immense governmental outgo successful the States – it volition beryllium a spot similar [ex-US President Joe] Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. So adjacent Trump has limits. The illustration helium sells is that of the winner. If helium suffers a large defeat, that representation collapses,” helium told Al Jazeera.

For these reasons, Trump is consenting to lend information to Europe, said Tsikas.

Is Trump offering Ukraine a deal?

This assistance would not travel for free, accordant with Trump’s argumentation towards Ukraine since assuming office.

The Financial Times reported that, successful speech for US information guarantees, Ukraine has offered to bargain $100bn worthy of US weapons, financed by Europe, which has already promised to bargain 700 cardinal euros ($820bn) successful US weapons for itself.

Will these bonzer sums ever beryllium spent? Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs US weapons worthy $1bn to $1.5bn each period done the PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List), a NATO programme.

European countries person presently pledged $1.5bn successful purchases of US weapons for Ukraine done PURL. All this is simply a acold outcry from the sums Trump is demanding beryllium committed successful memorandums, raising the question of whether they volition ever beryllium fulfilled.

Where does Russia stand?

A peacekeeping unit would lone travel into play erstwhile Putin and Zelenskyy had agreed to a ceasefire.

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov has confirmed doubly successful caller days that the gathering was not scheduled, contempt Zelenskyy’s readiness.

He told his Indian counterpart connected August 21 that specified a gathering would hap erstwhile proposals were “well developed”.

Lavrov besides told NBC that “no gathering is being planned”, but that “Putin is acceptable to conscionable with Zelenskyy erstwhile the docket is acceptable for a summit. This docket is not acceptable astatine all”.

Lavrov wanted Zelenskyy to align himself with positions helium claimed Putin and Trump agreed to successful the gathering successful Alaska.

“It was precise wide to everybody [that] determination are respective principles which Washington believes indispensable beryllium accepted, including nary NATO membership… [and] treatment of territorial issues, and Zelenskyy said nary to everything.”

Russia and Europe person fought to bring Trump person to their positions. Putin persuaded Trump that nary ceasefire was indispensable for bid talks, and tried to dissuade Trump from backing sanctions, which Europe supports.

Zelenskyy told Ukrainians successful an evening code connected Tuesday, “The lone signals Russia is sending bespeak that it intends to proceed evading existent negotiations. This tin beryllium changed lone done beardown sanctions, beardown tariffs – existent pressure.”

On August 22, Trump reiterated a self-imposed two-week deadline earlier helium makes a determination connected sanctions against Russia. He told reporters successful an Oval Office briefing, “I deliberation successful 2 weeks, we’ll cognize which mode I’m going.”

Trump archetypal mentioned that deadline to Fox’s Sean Hannity successful the aftermath of the Alaska gathering with Putin connected August 15.

But the tug-of-war means Trump is inactive midway betwixt Europe and Russia, and not the staunch European state his predecessor, Biden, was.

European leaders spot the Russian aggression successful Ukraine successful purely governmental and information terms, and are much sceptical of Russia’s motives.

“I don’t spot President Putin acceptable to get bid now,” French President Emmanuel Macron precocious told NBC. “As agelong arsenic President Putin and his radical volition see they tin triumph this warfare and get a amended effect by force, they volition not negotiate.”