EASTORA REPORT | The United States is discussing a deal that could end Russia’s war in Ukraine and set new security rules for Europe. Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning: Don’t decide Europe’s future with Russia before ending the war.
On Thursday, November 5, Donald Trump met Kirill Dmitriev, an envoy of Vladimir Putin, at the White House. Afterward, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that a possible agreement could go beyond Ukraine and involve “all of Europe.” He said he had not met the Ukrainian delegation also there.
The next day, Zelensky explained why those words worried him. “It’s more dangerous for the EU than for us,” he told CNN. “We are not part of the EU.” Ukraine belongs to Europe but is not a member of the European Union. His question: What would it mean for other European countries if Russia helped shape security rules while it was still at war?
Zelensky had heard about the idea in a call with two American officials, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Kushner had also met Ukrainian, NATO and European officials in Brussels. They discussed protections for Ukraine and wider security arrangements for Europe.
Zelensky wants the steps taken in a different order. First, stop the war. Then agree on protections for Ukraine. Only after that, he argues, should Europe consider a wider agreement with Russia. He says Moscow has yet to show it is ready to stop fighting.
“We don’t want to have Yalta 2.0,” Zelensky said. He meant the 1945 meeting associated with powerful countries deciding smaller nations’ futures. He also said Ukraine would not accept Russian ownership of its occupied land.
The American outline does not say Europe should be divided up. Kushner says each country must keep the right to choose its own allies, and NATO would remain central to Europe’s defense. The outline is still short on details. No final deal has been agreed.
American, Ukrainian and Russian officials are due to meet in Abu Dhabi next week. Trump is talking about a deal that reaches across Europe. Zelensky wants the talks to answer a more immediate question first: How do you promise security for a continent while the war in Ukraine is still going