Trump's Trials - 'Nightmare Scenario:' Trump Admin Cuts Europe Out Of Ukraine Talks

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

European leaders have called an emergency meeting in Paris Monday after the Trump administration has cut Europe out of negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. "Their worst nightmare has come true," Elie Tennenbaum, a security expert at the French Institute for International Relations, tells NPR's Eleanor Beardsley. Support NPR and hear every episode sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's Trump's Terms from NPR. I'm Scott Detrick. We're going to be doing all sorts of things nobody ever thought was even possible. It's going to be a very aggressive first hundred days of the new Congress. An unpredictable, transformative next four years. The United States is going to take off like a rocket ship. Each episode, we bring you NPR's coverage of President Trump acting on his own terms. And that means sometimes doing things that no American president has tried before. NPR is covering it all in stories like the one you are about to hear right after

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the coming days to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, European leaders are meeting in Paris today after being cut out of those negotiations. After Trump officials traveled to Europe last week, it became clear the post-war security order in Europe that's been in place 80 years is no more. We go now to NPR's Eleanor Beardsley in Paris to hear more about this. So Eleanor, why has this shook up Europe? Well, you know, Europeans knew the Trump administration was going to be a rougher ride than the Biden administration, but they still held out hope that the U.S. and Europe could work together,

especially on ending the war in Ukraine. But that illusion burst this week. First, there was US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's visit to NATO. He basically told European allies the US has bigger priorities in Asia and Europe needs to take care of itself. That was followed by the Munich Security Conference this weekend, where Vice President JD Vance gave a scathing criticism of European democracy, a speech one European leader called, quote, fascist and anti-European.

Vance also met with a far-right opposition leader in Germany while refusing to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Then there were the comments of US advisor to Ukraine and Russia, General Keith Kellogg, who told the Europeans, we'll take your interests into account, but you won't be at the negotiating table to end the war.

Now what about President Trump? How was his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin received there? Well that was the cherry on the cake, eh? President Trump gave no heads up to European allies or Ukraine before holding by all accounts what was a friendly hour and a half phone call with Putin, who Europeans consider an aggressor and pariah. Trump even went so far as to speak of lifting sanctions and bringing Russia back into the fold of nations. Leaders left Munich yesterday morose and stunned. Elie Tenenbaum told me he's a security expert at the French Institute for International

Relations. Let's listen. So this has been their sort of nightmare scenario that they were going to be bypassed by the United States to negotiate a peace deal over the heads. And he says without its European allies by its side, the U S might try to strong arm Ukraine into a bad deal. I know big meeting today in Paris. Who's going to be there? What's on be there? What's on the agenda?

Well, the leaders of eight nations are meeting at streamlines so they can move quickly. France, Britain, Poland, Italy, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Plus two top EU officials and the head of NATO on the agenda is increasing military spending, which might mean discarding long established EU limits on budget deficits and authorizing massive spending. They will speak of how to guarantee any peace. In an editorial in a British

newspaper yesterday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would be ready to send troops to ensure a peace deal. This morning Sweden said it too could send troops and France has also said it would send troops, but it will take more than a couple nations to guarantee a peace, Tenenbaum told me. What about Ukraine? What have they said about this? Well, President Volodymyr send troops, but it will take more than a couple nations to guarantee a peace, Tenenbaum told me. What about Ukraine? What have they said about this? Well, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke forcefully at the Munich conference as soon as he saw

what was happening. He says Europe must be at the negotiating table and he's pushing Europeans to join with battle-hardened Ukraine to build a European fighting force. Let's listen. We must build the armed forces of Europe so that Europe's future depends only on Europeans and decisions about Europe are made in Europe. You got applause for that, eh? French officials describe today's meeting as informal and there'll be no final communique.

They're trying to tamp down expectations for what is actually a very crucial meeting. That's Eleanor Beardsley in Paris. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Before we wrap up, a reminder, you can find more coverage of the Trump administration on the NPR Politics Podcast, where you can hear NPR's political reporters break down the day's biggest political news with new episodes every weekday afternoon. And thanks as always to our NPR Plus supporters who hear every episode of the show without sponsored messages. You can learn more at plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detro. Thanks for

listening to Trump's terms from NPR.