February 14th, 2025: European Leaders Chastise Trump Over Putin Call & White House Unveils Plans For Reciprocal Tariffs On US Allies
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What are European leaders saying about Trump's call with Putin?
We'll begin with the fallout from President Trump's call with Russia's favorite warmonger, Vladimir Putin, regarding the war in Ukraine as alarmed European leaders demand a seat at the negotiating table and denounce the White House for appearing to offer concessions to Moscow in advance of potential peace talks. As we discussed yesterday on the PDB, Trump held his first phone call with Putin since returning to office on Wednesday morning and announced that the pair had agreed to start negotiations, quote, immediately to bring Russia's war on Ukraine to a close. Now, that same day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said it was unrealistic to think that Ukraine could reclaim their lost territory or join the NATO alliance. Both, of course, major priorities for leaders in Kyiv.
The news reportedly sent shockwaves through European capitals, prompting condemnations from Kyiv and its European allies, who expressed concerns that Trump might seek to make a deal without their input. Officials across the continent took a firm line on Trump's overtures for peace, saying it would be impossible to implement any future deal unless NATO allies play a central role in negotiations. And that's according to a report from Reuters. European foreign policy chief Kaja Kalas delivered the fiercest rebuke, saying, quote, any quick fix is a dirty deal. Why are we giving them everything that they want even before the negotiations have been started? It's appeasement. It has never worked, end quote. Well, to be fair, he's not wrong.
Ukrainian President Zelensky, who spoke with Trump following his call with Putin, also pushed back publicly on Thursday, saying that Ukraine would not accept any bilateral agreement reached by Moscow and Washington without Kiev's direct involvement. He warned that Putin was attempting to bypass Ukraine and said it was critical that the U.S. and Ukraine draw up a peace plan together before any talks are initiated with the Kremlin. Officials in Germany were similarly blunt in their response, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejecting what he described as Russian efforts to implement a, quote, dictated peace. Germany's defense minister echoed those concerns, saying it was, quote, regrettable that the Trump administration had made public concessions to Russia before peace talks had started.
A European diplomatic source told Reuters that foreign ministers throughout the NATO alliance would present a unified front and broach the subject with American officials at the annual Munich Security Conference on Friday, saying they would be engaging in a, quote, frank and demanding dialogue. As we touched on yesterday, Vice President J.D.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What are European leaders saying about Trump's call with Putin?
2:03–15:22
2
What are the implications of Trump's reciprocal tariffs?
15:22
3
How is Belarus involved in US-West relations?
14:45
4
What did Israel uncover about Iran's activities?
3:18–6:52
5
What reactions are there from Ukraine regarding Trump's negotiations?
6:52–8:31
6
What are the concerns of NATO allies about Trump's approach?
8:31–23:16
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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