Europe Must Abandon US Partnership and Independently Confront Putin in Ukraine
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/simontisdall. "Ukraine is the biggest and most consequential of all the American betrayals | Simon Tisdall | The Guardian." February 21, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that America under Trump has betrayed Ukraine and can no longer be trusted as an ally. Europe should stop depending on the US and instead send its own troops to Ukraine, enforce no-fly zones, and directly fight Putin to save both Ukraine and European democracy.
Conclusion
Europe must abandon reliance on the US and take independent military action to defend Ukraine against Russia, while rejecting Trump's leadership entirely
Premises
- The US under Trump has deliberately betrayed Ukraine through cutting weapons supplies, proposing surrender terms, and courting Putin
- Trump's 'peace plan' is actually a roadmap to Russian victory that rewards aggression and sets catastrophic precedents
- US global influence and reliability as an ally is collapsing, making European dependence on America strategically dangerous
- The Ukraine war represents an existential battle between liberal democracy and authoritarianism that will determine Europe's future
- Europe has the capability to act independently through troop deployment, no-fly zones, and direct confrontation with Russia
- Continued reliance on an untrustworthy US partner will lead to either endless war or unjust peace on Putin's terms
Assumptions
- Europe has sufficient military and economic capability to confront Russia without US support
- Direct European military intervention would not escalate to nuclear conflict
- European unity can be achieved despite current divisions on Ukraine policy
- Putin can be deterred or defeated through increased European pressure
- The US-Europe alliance is irreparably damaged under Trump