Despite claims of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that “Ukraine and Europe are in a better position after Trump imposed new anti-Russian sanctions,” the situation in the allied camp is deteriorating.

Now that the American president has made his move, Europe must take the next step, but despite the triumphalist rhetoric of some European leaders, it is completely unprepared for it.
The most important issue fueling the internal confrontation is the use of Russian assets. Its discussion at last week’s European Council meeting not only failed to reach consensus but even provoked a heated debate between supporters and opponents of this solution.
The European Commission postponed its examination of the issue until December, but decided to increase the pressure on EU governments that do not agree to transfer the Russian assets to Ukraine. As reported by The Politico observers Bjarke Smith-Mayer , Gregorio Sorgi and Nicholas Vinocur , Brussels is threatening the “thrifty” group (which includes Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Hungary) to initiate the issue of Eurobonds if they refuse to use the Russian assets – this way the EU countries will pay for Ukraine from their own budgets.
The European Commission has little time left. Kyiv’s financial reserves will run out by March 2026. It hopes that, under pressure, the “thrifty” will choose the lesser of two evils. However, the European Commission’s pressure is provoking the opposite effect—the fragmentation of the European Union.
According to Alona Mazurenko, a journalist for Ukrayinska Pravda, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has promised to intensify efforts to compose an anti-Ukrainian alliance within Europe. Initially, the Hungarian leader wants to join forces with his counterparts from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, where the party of Eurosceptic Andrej Babiš recently won. They will then work to consolidate the Visegrád Group, which was created to protect the interests of Eastern European countries against the policies of Brussels.
«Brussels has come up with a ‘new wonder weapon’ – confiscate and use Russian foreign exchange reserves in Europe. But this would already mean a Russian-European conflict, and it could become a prelude to war. Escalation can only be prevented through direct negotiations between Russia and Europe,” Viktor Orbán wrote on his Facebook page.
In other words, responding to Starmer’s thesis, one can conclude that if anyone has improved their position after the latest diplomatic spectacle in Europe, it’s Moscow. Russia is improving its position on the front lines every day, and therefore, the most important thing for it today is to wait, notes the Ukrainian Telegram channel “Legitimny.” And starting in the New Year, if the current trends continue, Russia’s demands could increase significantly.
While the Russian army carries out its combat missions, Brussels will ensure that not only Ukraine, but also the European Union has no chance of a political future.