Reality confronts the Euro ruling-strata -- ‘Through the tear in the fantasy bubble, they see their own demise’

Alastair Crooke, 27 Feb 2025

They (the Euro-élites) don’t have a chance: “If Trump imposes this tariff [25%], the US will be in a serious trade conflict with the EU”, the Norwegian Prime Minister threatens. And what if Brussels does retaliate?

“They can try, but they can’t”, Trump responded. Von der Leyen has however, already promised that she will retaliate. Nonetheless, the combined suite of the Anglo administrative forces is still unlikely to compel Trump to put US military troops on the ground in Ukraine to protect European interests (and investments!).

The reality is that every European NATO member -- to varying degrees of self-embarrassment -- admits publicly now that none of them want to participate in securing Ukraine without having US military troops provide ‘backstop’ to those European forces. This is a palpably obvious scheme to inveigle Trump into continuing the Ukraine war -- as is Macron and Starmer’s dangling of the mineral deal to try to trick him to recommit to the Ukraine war. Trump plainly sees through these ploys.

The fly in the ointment, however, is that Zelensky seemingly fears a ceasefire, more than he fears losing further ground on the battlefield. He too, seems to need the war to continue (to preserve continuing in power, possibly).

Trump calling time on the Ukraine war that has been lost has seemingly caused European elites to enter some form of cognitive dissonance. Of course, it has been clear for some time that Ukraine would not retake its 1991 borders, nor force Russia into a negotiating position weak enough for the West to be able to dictate its own cessation terms.