Like most Americans, I was surprised by the heated exchange between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and President Zelensky last week in the Oval Office. I would have thought the arrangements in the deal would have been ironed out long before they got in front of the cameras. However, President Zelensky has proven unconventional in his fight for freedom and his approach to diplomacy time and time again.
“There’s no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.”
Abraham Lincoln
We should not view the immediate exchange as the Europeans have, but should think through what happened logically and with an eye on the future. Now that I have had a day or two to follow the consequences of President Zelensky’s actions, I believe the American people have scored a victory on many fronts. President Trump knew that heated exchanges are often about more than the moment. President Trump is the ultimate chess master, and he sees beyond the chest thumping by Zelensky and the EU.
Immediate Repercussions
The immediate reaction was the predictable overreaction of the press, who rarely think beyond the next deadline or headline. Putting this aside, we saw the leaders separate and adjourn without resolving Ukraine’s problems. President Trump went to Florida to rest, and President Zelensky went to Europe looking for other support.
Americans will not experience overnight repercussions as all sides calm down and consider their next moves. I believe President Zelensky has not thought far enough and has boxed himself into a corner. Europe has not thought this out and may have jumped into a position it can neither fill nor afford.
America Wins Again
Many believe Europe should manage this war since the conflict is thousands of miles away from us and hundreds of miles away from them. Our only interest is to help avoid World War III and make the world safer. President Biden or surrogates unwisely pushed us into the war, and I can speculate on their motives, but I would need to get into conspiracy theories. President Trump wants to find a way to end the conflict; for that, the EU wants to criticize him and, by extension, us.
This cannot be considered a loss for America when we examine Ukraine’s and the EU’s options. It can only be a win. Like the French when we jumped into Vietnam, we should view the EU’s actions with surprise and thanks. Their economies are even more fragile than ours, and if they want to go further into debt to pay for the Ukraine War, we should let them but not cheer the insanity.
The EU has no army, and individual countries have let their military capabilities atrophy over recent decades to a point where they cannot field a peacekeeping force, much less fight for an extended period. They have admitted that they have no armament manufacturing capacity, and without a World War II-style emergency, they cannot build one in the short term. Their embrace of green energy has decimated their manufacturing capabilities and left them unable to defend themselves.
Ignoring the facts, Spain, Portugal, Norway, the Czech Republic, Germany, and the EU (which has no army) immediately pledged support. From somewhere came a pledge of $5 billion for their war effort. Considering we have poured in about $200 billion, this will last about a month, but at least the EU will finally have a little skin in the game if they come through. However, it’s essential to consider the long-term implications of the EU’s financial support. If the EU continues to fund Ukraine’s war effort, it could strain their economies, potentially leading to a recession, depression, or defunding many of their social programs. It also takes them from bystanders to active participants; politicians must weigh that with voters.
The EU Knows
The EU knows it cannot support Ukraine militarily, so this is a show, but let us play this out for a minute.
Supposedly, we have covert “boots on the ground” in Ukraine or just over the border with special forces and the CIA. With these resources and our extensive satellite network, we supply much-needed targeting information for Ukraine’s artillery and drones. I have no problem if we pull back from this position and let the EU do it, provided they have similar equipment and skills. If not, we should start charging them for the use of our resources.
The EU has lost most of its military manufacturing, so Ukraine can only spend the EU’s money here in the United States. This would help our trade deficit and allow us to replenish all the weaponry sent to Ukraine over the past three years. Ukraine has also used tanks and armored personnel carriers to good effect. But all equipment needs replacements, repairs, and maintenance. All the replacement equipment and parts come from America, and without us, they will quickly run out of fighting vehicles.
In theory, the EU countries can collectively match our contributions, but it would take a joint effort to match our military might, and history has not shown them to be united on much. But they grossly underspend on their military in favor of social programs. This has been a strong point for our leaders, and it shows in the annual expenditures of less than one-third of the United States. They fall far behind us in the Air Force, Naval, and satellite capabilities.
The EU has personnel of a fighting age. The Ukraine War is a meat grinder that has killed off most of a generation in Russia and Ukraine. I doubt that many, if any, EU countries could raise an army to go into Ukraine and fight unless Russia directly threatens them.
As a clear example of this issue, finding artillery shells of the right caliber has been a struggle for much of the war. Both the United States and the EU have struggled to keep up. We have reserves of weaponry; the EU does not.
Finally, we have Starlink, vital for Ukraine’s communication and positioning. While Elon Musk has denied that he would cut off Starlink, it is a weight like the sword of Damocles hanging over President Zelensky and Ukraine. He could require the EU to pay for access if they step into our support position.
The EU thinks they are taking a shot at President Trump and America; it is wrong, and they can only come begging for help.
Coming Back For More
Ukraine and the EU have no alternative but to return to Washington for help. They have had fifteen minutes of fame, but it is about over. Only we have the weaponry and technology to help, and only we seem to want to end the war. Ukraine has some rare earth minerals we could use, and we could use them to create a buffer by setting up manufacturing zones. They will be unable to mine these resources for years because of the war. This is an innovative solution to what has seemed like an intractable problem to the rest of the world.
Winners and Losers
The real losers in this are the Ukrainian people, who have suffered the ravages of this war for three years. Wars rarely go according to plan. They quickly start and are challenging to stop. President Putin underestimated the will of the Ukrainians to fight, creating a protracted and costly conflict for Russia and exposing his tyrannical ambitions. But how much killing is necessary to call this a stalemate? It is estimated that 400,000 Ukrainians have been killed or wounded, and that 800,000 Russians have suffered the same fate in just three years. This has become a war of attrition, a meat-grinder of soldiers and citizens.
“War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children.”
President Jimmy Carter
President Trump has offered a way to end the insanity, but the EU and President Zelensky want to keep it going. President Putin is fighting to recreate a long-dead empire. President Zelensky believes he is fighting for survival. The EU is fighting for relevance. If there is to be one positive from the war, it might be that the EU will see the need to live up to its NATO commitments, and for good reason.
Resources and Further Reading
Compare Armed Forces, ArmedForces.eu, armedforces.eu, Last accessed March 1, 2025.
Elon Musk denies reports that US threatened to shut off Starlink access in Ukraine, By Sebastian Moss, Data Center Dynamics, datacenterdynamics.com, February 25, 2025.
European leaders jump to Zelensky’s defense after contentious meeting with Trump, By Filip Timotija, The Hill, thehill.com, February 28, 2025.
How Many People Have Died in the Russia-Ukraine War? By Jenna deJong, Newsweek, newsweek.com, February 19, 2025.
How Much U.S. Aid Is Going to Ukraine? By Johnathan Masters and Will Merrow, Council on Foreign Relations, cfr.org, September 27, 2024.
U.S. threatened to cut off Musk’s Starlink to Ukraine in mineral negotiations, says report, By Ariana Baio, The Independent, theindependent.com, ~February 27, 2025.
Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics, National Archives, Last accessed March 1, 2025.
