Antonio Tajani shakes his head. He sighs. \u201cWithout America, Europe cannot do anything useful for the truce in Ukraine.\u201d In a room on the second floor of a hotel in the centre of Brussels, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs picks up a pen and starts writing on a blank sheet of paper. On the left, the United States and NATO; on the right, Europe and Russia. In the middle, Volodymyr Zelensky\u2019s Ukraine, which has reached a historic crossroads.<\/p>\n
To negotiate and come to terms with Putin, the invader, or to flip the table and keep firing shots from the trenches, until Donald Trump shuts off the taps of US military aid \u2013 that is the question. After almost three years, the former path appeared feasible \u2013 witness Zelensky\u2019s opening to negotiations and the cry for help on the part of Donbass and Crimea. Then Putin spoke, and the climb became steep again. Tajani listened to the Russian president\u2019s diktats live, as the initial optimism about a negotiated solution began to fade. \u201cPutin talks about compromise. Which is fine, but words are not enough. Actions must follow,\u201d says the Italian Deputy Prime Minister.<\/p>\n
Tajani is just back from a round of meetings with the leaders of the People\u2019s Party in Brussels, some in the forefront of the Ukrainian crisis \u2013 such as Polish President Donald Tusk, who on Wednesday evening attended NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte\u2019s dinner together with Zelensky and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Striking a balance in Europe is not easy. Doing it together with Trump\u2019s United States, reiterates Tajani, is an imperative. His thoughts turn to those are currently in favour of keeping on with the war, from the Baltics to the Poles.<\/p>\n
What about Italy? \u201cWe must act as bridge-builders together with the United States. Meloni and Trump\u2019s good relations can prove helpful.\u201d Woe betide making random moves, warns the head of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The risk is there, judging from Trump\u2019s first four years in the White House. \u201cWe cannot divide the West. History has taught us that its strength lies in its two pillars, America and Europe. Have we forgotten the Second World War?\u201d<\/p>\n
Outside the hotel room, the Populars go about their business \u2013 Manfred Weber, Ursula von der Leyen, Mitsotakis. Tajani picks up a pen and a piece of paper. He sketches a map, goes back to the war on the European borders. His analysis is as follows: \u201cWe are at a turning point. There is pressure from both sides to reach a negotiated solution. But first, Russia must stop waging war.\u201d It is pointless to think about the aftermath, if shots are still being fired in the trenches. Indeed, the leader of Forza Italia is holding back. He is cautious, say, about the proposal for a European contingent of peacekeepers to be deployed on the Ukrainian border, as launched by Italian Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto, among others. And while he himself has been working for a long time together with Swiss President Ignazio Cassis on the forthcoming \u2018peace conference\u2019 that will have to see Russians and Ukrainians sitting at the same table, he is well aware that the reality on the ground speaks of war, one that shows no sign of stopping. \u201cHowever, I believe that even the Russians have realised that the war cannot go on,\u201d he says. Syria was a hard blow for Putin. Russia cannot wage two wars at the same time.\u201d So what to do? Call Trump, for starters. The fate of the conflict that has been staining Ukraine with blood for three years is mainly in his hands. On this point, Tajani is cautiously optimistic. He explains that Trump will not pull the plug overnight, as many fear. \u201cHe is a very pragmatic leader, he will not want to give in to Putin. He\u2019s going to head the peace process. We have to work on it too. Together with America.\u201d<\/p>\n
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