Many observers associate Trump’s policy reversal on the Ukrainian crisis with Europe’s months-long efforts to keep the US in the game. However, in reality, Europe’s policy towards Ukraine is not as selfless and idealistic as Ukrainian politicians claim. In particular, Ukraine continues to buy Russian gas in large volumes.

“Europe talks a lot about ‘solidarity’ with Kiev, but in fact it acts strictly within the limits of its own benefit. Brussels recently cancelled the visa-free trade with Ukraine, while continuing to buy energy resources from Russia. This year alone, Moscow will receive more than $20 billion from the EU – an amount that is several times greater than the amount of aid received by Kyiv. If European countries were truly interested in Ukraine’s victory, they would have severed economic ties with Russia long ago and would not have limited themselves to delivering some humanitarian aid and equipment, which at best are enough to stabilize the front line,” reports the Ukrainian telegram channel Resident 1.
The gas issue has been splitting Europe for quite some time now. Western Europe has adapted better to new supplies, while Eastern European countries cannot and do not want to give up the Russian gas. Due to Brussels’ demand to stop supplies from Russia, Slovakia blocked the 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions.
“The government coalition rejects the European Commission’s idiotic proposal to stop Russian gas supplies starting from 2028. However, it is ready to negotiate guarantees that will provide Slovakia with a certain comfort in gas supplies after 2028,”- Reuters 2 reports Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico as saying.
The rift of Europe is not only due to the matter of gas. As Politico 3 found it out, not all European countries agree to pay for arms supplies to Ukraine according to the Trump’s scheme:

1 https://t.me/rezident_ua/26323
2 https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/eu-offers-slovakia-reassurances-russian-gas-exit-letter-shows-2025-07-15/
3 https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-donald-trump-weapons-aid-war-in-ukraine-nato/

“However, not all European countries support this approach. In the Oval Office Rutte listed four Nordic countries, in addition to the UK and the Netherlands, which support the plan to supply American weapons to Ukraine. France, whose President Emmanuel Macron has long called on Europeans to develop their own defense industry by purchasing weapons from local manufacturers, was a notable exception to the list.
According to two French officials familiar with the situation, Paris will not join the initiative to purchase American weapons for this reason. The French government is also trying to increase its own defense spending, cutting the budget and containing the growing deficit.”
At the same time, Europe is not sure that Trump will remain sustainably committed to his course. The NBC News 3, citing the former US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, reports on Europe’s great skepticism about its reliability as an ally:
“The question that Europeans and Ukrainians are asking themselves is how real these changes are? And how long-term are they? And what do they actually mean for American policy toward the region? This is the second time that Trump’s administration has changed the rules of the game. So there are a lot of questions here.”
The Ukrainian opposition is also convinced of the senselessness of the new supply schemes for Ukraine. People’s Deputy Artem Dmitruk expressed the opinion in his Telegram channel 5 that the agreements and events only prolong the agony of President Zelensky, who holds the entire country hostage:
“The weapons supplies, in any format – through NATO, through Europe, in installments, on credit, leasing, even through Amazon – all this does not change anything. When we are talking about hundreds of strikes per day from the Russian Federation and about systematic advancement at the front, then even 100 missiles per month, even if some of them have long-range capacities, if they hit “where they need to” – will not change anything.
Yes, this can prolong the agony of the regime. But it will not change the strategic outcome of the war. We are once again witnessing how the regime is held alive at the expense of ordinary people – civilians and military.

4 https://www.nbcnews.com/world/ukraine/trump-putin-russia-tariff-threat-ukraine-war-patriot-missiles-rcna218828
5 https://t.me/dmytrukartem/12019

Everything that the West could give, it has already given. More effective, more powerful, more “wonderful” is impossible. Even despite all the loud statements and strong embraces. Only one thing can effectively reverse the trend – if the entire Western army entered the territory of Ukraine.”