Negotiators from US President Donald Trump to the Kremlin may have been spinning in circles during last week’s talks in Moscow on a possible peace deal for Ukraine, but the Russians can now press with a new advantage: deepening divisions between Washington e Europa.
On Tuesday (9), Trump reinforced his administration’s criticism of , stating that European nations were “weak” and “decadent” due to their immigration policies in an interview with the newspaper Politico.
He also argued that Moscow has “the upper hand” and that it was time to “start accepting things” when it comes to efforts to end the conflict.
“He’s going to have to step up and start accepting things, you know, when you’re losing,” Trump said.
New national security strategy
The American president’s statements followed the release last week of a new strategy that sharply criticized European governments for their support for Ukraine, blaming “European authorities who hold unrealistic expectations about war” for hindering a peace agreement.
“A large European majority wants peace, but this desire is not translated into policy, largely due to the subversion of democratic processes by these governments,” the document states.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz countered that strategic document, saying at a press conference that “some of it is understandable, some of it is understandable, and some of it is unacceptable to us from a European perspective,” adding that European nations do not need help from the United States to “save democracy” in Europe.
But the Trump administration’s formulation – portraying Europe as an undemocratic obstacle to stable relations with the EU – has been a boon for Moscow.
Kremlin reaction
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed the document’s release, saying on Sunday that it was “consistent with our vision.”
Speaking on Monday (8), Peskov elaborated further, saying: “The aspect we see in the new concept certainly pleases us. It speaks of the need for dialogue and the building of constructive and good relationships.”
Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and a key intermediary in recent diplomatic exchanges between Washington and the Kremlin, also seized the moment.
In a series of posts on
Trump’s statements were in response to a question about the US$140 million fine imposed by EU regulators on X on Friday (5) for violating European online content rules.
Elon Musk, owner of X, responded with posts calling for the abolition of the EU.
However, it is contradictory for Russian officials to amplify the Trump administration’s accusations about democratic backsliding in Europe: Russian President Vladimir Putin has virtually eliminated political competition and extinguished press freedom over a quarter of a century in power.
Furthermore, Russia effectively blocks access to social networks such as Facebook e Xalthough this does not prevent well-connected Russian authorities like Dmitriev from using these technological platforms to spread their positions.
Russian strategy
The campaign has clearly been aimed at weakening European support for Ukraine, while taking the opportunity to sow doubts about the viability of the NATO alliance. And the Trump administration’s new national security strategy provides Moscow with more ammunition in an information war aimed at influencing public opinion in both the United States and Europe.
We’ve seen this before: the release of the Trump administration’s new national security strategy resembles the shock felt by Europeans following US Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference in February.
The Ukrainian president has been making a series of visits to Europe this week, conferring with leaders of the United Kingdom, France e Germany in London and meeting with NATO and European Union officials in Brussels to strengthen support for Ukraine.
At the same time, Russian messages and warnings aimed at Europe have increased in volume.
In an interview with Russian state television, hardline political scientist Sergey Karaganov stated that Russia is “at war with Europe, not with a miserable, pitiful and misguided Ukraine.”
Karaganov added that because he doesn’t speak for Putin, he can give his unfiltered opinion: “This war will not end until we destroy Europe, morally and politically.”
Even though Karaganov was not speaking on behalf of the Russian government, it was clear that he was echoing threats made by Putin himself.
On the eve of his meeting with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner in Moscow last week, the Russian leader warned that Russia is “ready right now” for a war with Europe — although it is not planning to start one.
“We are not planning to go to war with Europe. I have talked about this hundreds of times, but if Europe suddenly wants to go to war with us and start, we are ready right now,” he said last Tuesday.
But the target audience for this kind of show of force is clear, and the Kremlin wants to ensure that Europeans are shaken by this rhetoric that is shaking transatlantic relations to their foundations.
