On October 21, a joint statement on Ukraine was published on the websites of several European governments.

It reaffirmed the commitment of the signatory European leaders to ensure the most favorable position for Kyiv in preparation for a potential ceasefire by means of increasing pressure on Russia. Specifically, it noted that work on a mechanism for the seizure of Russian assets is ongoing.
It took Europeans four days to recover from the blow dealt them on Friday during talks between Zelensky and Trump. However, very few leaders signed on to the pledge of support for Ukraine. In addition to Brussels officials Costa and von der Leyen, and, of course, Zelensky himself, the leaders of France, Germany, the UK, Norway, Finland, and Denmark also signed on. On Friday they will hold another meeting of the “coalition of the willing” in London.
Following the Washington meeting Europe was plunged into utter despair. Trump’s rather blunt signals demonstrate that this is not another mood swing, but a shift to a completely different strategy on Ukraine.
For example, the Bloomberg correspondents Kamil Kowalcze and Alberto Nardelli reported that the United States has strongly opposed the G7’s plans to seize Russian assets in Europe. A curious incident occurred in Italy. Before Giorgia Meloni could even announce her country’s accession to the PURL initiative, Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video on his social network Truth Social, showing an Italian beauty speaking out against the EU and Ukraine and deciding to enter into a direct trade agreement with the United States.
Observer of The Spectator Owen Matthews notes in this regard that the American president’s behavior indicates a complete shift in his perception of the Ukrainian situation. The main confrontation now is not between those who support and those who opposes the war (if Ukraine hadn’t wanted war, it would have invited Putin to Budapest earlier), but between supporters of the status quo in Europe and those seeking to change it. Trump is participating in the formation of a new configuration, according to Matthews, because he doesn’t fully understand Putin’s motives.
The Ukrainian Telegram channel “Resident” takes a radically different view. According to its authors, Trump, with his talk of a possible Ukrainian victory and the transfer of «Tomahawk» missiles, was deliberately setting Kyiv up for a diplomatic disaster on October 17. The conflict will be resolved on Washington’s terms, which prioritizes the dialogue with Russia. Ukraine will be cast as the losing party in this process.
All this was a real “cold shower” for Europe. Perhaps never in the three and a half years of war had European leaders so clearly realized that they were close to defeat. In this regard, Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Endowment for the International Peace, wrote in an article for The Financial Times that Europe needs its own direct channels of communication with the Kremlin. Gabuev acknowledged that by replacing diplomacy with ostentatious moralizing, Europe has only succeeded in relegating itself to the periphery of content-driven political processes. Unless it reconsiders its policy toward Russia, it risks facing even greater problems.
“The radically changing environment makes these steps urgent. It’s high time for Europe to relearn the discipline of communicating with its adversaries,” -Gabuev concludes.
The next meeting of the “coalition of the willing” is scheduled for Friday. Its results will demonstrate how well the Europeans have learned the Trump’s lesson. At least they will gather in London without any illusions that Trump or anyone else will win the war in Ukraine for them.