Trump Shifts His Ukraine Strategy, Focusing on Europe
President of the Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM), Prof. Dr. Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, stated that U.S. President Donald Trump is revising his strategy toward Ukraine by placing greater emphasis on Europe. According to Erol, Trump’s objective is to shift the responsibility for resolving the conflict onto Europe while simultaneously increasing pressure on Moscow through the normalization of U.S.–Russia relations.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked that Trump’s peace efforts regarding the Ukrainian crisis had “hit the wall of European militarism.”
Prof. Erol explained:
“By shifting the focus from Ukraine to Europe, Trump has effectively activated a strategy aimed at persuading Moscow to agree to negotiations—or a peace process—on terms more favorable to the United States. Viewed through the lens of U.S.–Russia normalization, this move expands Washington’s diplomatic maneuvering space. Trump is once again attempting to organize a meeting between (Volodymyr) Zelensky and (Vladimir) Putin and appears willing to personally participate in it. Yet not long ago, he had practically excluded Zelensky from the negotiation process. Thus, it can be said that Trump has raised the stakes.”
According to Erol, the current initiative to launch a negotiation process largely lies in the hands of the Kremlin.
However, the professor added that this situation could change over time:
“Organizing a negotiation—or peace—table will hardly be an easy task. It seems that both the U.S. and Europe are not opposed to resuming dialogue. Turkey, for its part, continues to express its readiness to facilitate this process, and its position remains unchanged. Turkey is ready—the negotiation platform in Istanbul remains relevant and open.”
In early October, following his meeting with Zelensky during the UN General Assembly, Trump stated that with the support of the European Union, “Ukraine could restore its country to its original form, and who knows, maybe even go further.” Zelensky later said he was surprised by this remark. The Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano later wrote that Trump’s statement, suggesting Ukraine could regain its territories with EU assistance, humiliated European countries.
