Exclusive: Pentagon accuses Europe of ‘deliberately prolonging’ Ukraine war

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1. Senior White House officials believe some European leaders are publicly supporting President Trump’s effort to end the war in Ukraine, while quietly trying to undo behind-the-scenes progress since the Alaska summit, Axios has learned.

   Trump aides contend the blame for the prolonging of the war should fall on European allies, not on Trump or Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

   White House officials are losing patience with European leaders, whom they claim are pushing Ukraine to hold out for unrealistic territorial concessions by Russia.

   The Europeans are said to be pushing Zelensky to hold out for a “better deal” — a maximalist approach that has exacerbated the war, Trump’s inner circle argues.

   The U.S. officials believe British and French officials are being more constructive. But they complain that other major European countries want the U.S. to bear the full cost of the war, while putting no skin in the game themselves.

   “Getting to a deal is an art of the possible,” the top official said. “But some of the Europeans continue to operate in a fairy-tale land that ignores the fact it takes two to tango.”

   Trump was visibly frustrated about the situation during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. “Everybody is posturing. It’s all bullshit”.

   A senior White House official told Axios that Trump is seriously considering stepping back from the diplomatic efforts until one or both parties begin to show more flexibility.

   “We are going to sit back and watch. Let them fight it out for a while and see what happens,” the official said.

2. You can put these accusations right next to where we keep daily nuclear threats from ruzzia. We might address it in 30 business days. Or not.

3. >The Europeans are said to be pushing Zelensky to hold out for a “better deal”

   Whether it’s Europe pushing Zelensky or if it’s the other way around is unclear, but otherwise I doubt that anyone would argue against this. It’s literally the outspoken goal since April 2022 to get a better deal, and it’s the modus operandi to hold out “for as long as it takes” since the failed 2023 counteroffensive.

4. What’s the point of taking a shit deal now that fatally weakens Ukraine, leaving it vulnerable to another Russian invasion 5 years down the road?

   They are right about one thing though- Europe needs to step up further and do more to damage the Russian war machine.

5. The USA’s current deal is generous enough that Russia could declare victory and then in a couple of years try to seize what’s left of Ukraine.

   They’re complaining that the EU isn’t helping them push Ukraine into capitulation, most likely to paint the EU/Ukraine as being no better or even worse than Russia.

   The leadership of both Russia and the USA are now strongly pro-authoritarianism, and now they wish to see the same ideology take control in the EU.

6. [deleted]

7. Trump:

   >russia you have two weeks or else you will be sorry

   Two weeks later

   >EUROPE you bad.

   Trump is winning and Russia sure feel sorry for themselves..

8. This just goes to show the stupidity within the White House (not the pentagon, as although the headline mentions the Pentagon, everything in the article itself references the White House).

   Trump is desperate for a deal of any shape or size, just to ‘end the war’ and get his beloved Nobel peace prize. He has little understanding (or more likely care) for the finer details. He keeps hearing the European leaders express a desire for a deal albeit only on certain conditions (eg security guarantees and not giving up the Donbas fortress belt) but all Trump hears is ‘we want a deal’. So then he throws a tantrum when a deal doesn’t materialise as he has no patience for all the finer details that have to be negotiated. To say it’s all behind the scenes is absurd, the European position is very clear, and they made it clear to Trump a few weeks ago in the White House.

   And this is all before we bring the Russians into the mix, with their maximalist negotiating position that even the White House doesn’t seem to understand (thanks, Steve Whitkoff)…

   If Trump wants an end to the war he needs to realise this isn’t a business deal or a minor border skirmish like the other peace deals he supposedly single handedly achieved but an incredibly complex situation that will require hugely skilled negotiations due to the disparity in negotiating positions, not a toddler throwing tantrums.

9. The US is keen to push ahead with the trade deals it discussed with Putin in Alaska. Ukraine, which regularly attacks Russian production facilities, stands in the way.

10. So many comments here saying don’t make a deal with Russia because they will attack again later. You really think that makes sense? Russia spends 3 years to just hold 4 regions? Losses hundreds of thousands of troops. Fires 100,000 drones, rockets, drones. Gets worst trade sanctions in history. You really think it was worth it? Hardly. And to go thru all of that again? No it would not be worth it for them.

11. The EU is a circus and the world is laughing at it. The US, Russia and China are sick of their shit, nobody is taking them seriously anymore. 

12. There have been 4 presidential administrations since this war started in 2014, and all of them have tried to give Ukraine less than the bare minimum amount of support that it needs. If Joe Biden had given them what they needed in 2022, the war would be over already and Trump wouldn’t have an opportunity to stab them in the back.

13. Thiswholepoerationwasyouridea.jpg

    Funny that it was the Americans that had been most enthusiastic about confrontation whereas EU states had dragged their feet. It seems that some in Europe have lost grasped of the intitial logic that encouraged confrontation in the first place

14. Dude, you are so far down putin’s asshole if you think countries like Ukraine, Sweden, Finland etc didnt want to join NATO willingly. They realized that they need security guarantees because the empire to the east is being run by a mad, warmongering psychopath. By invading Ukraine, putin proved all of these countries correct, which is why Finland and Sweden finally joined the defensive alliance

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