Europe Shreds Trump’s Peace Deal with Putin: A Ceasefire Built on Delusions

Putin Is Stringing Team Trump Along—And They’re Falling for It.

Both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin operate under the belief that they hold all the cards, allowing them to continue their political maneuvers unchecked. In their worldview, Ukraine and Europe are powerless players. But over the past twenty days, tectonic shifts have taken place, steadily eroding the Trump administration’s influence and reshaping the global power balance.

Today, the European Union is debating a draft defense budget plan that will see the 27-nation bloc invest €800 billion—without a single cent flowing across the Atlantic to the United States. The UK has also been left out for now, though discussions are ongoing about their eventual inclusion.

This marks a pivotal break from the past. Until now, the EU allocated more than half of every euro spent on defense to procure weapons from the U.S. With this new plan, total defense spending in Europe is set to surpass €200 billion per year, with most of the funds directed toward strengthening Europe’s own defense industry. That’s €200 billion annually, excluding Germany’s separate military investments.