A mountain was in labour, uttering immense groans,
and on earth there was very great expectation.
But it gave birth to a mouse. This has been written for you,
who, though you threaten great things, accomplish nothing.”
Sundays meeting of selected European leaders in London reminded me of the above Aesop fable.
Prime Minister Starmer’s summit, called for in haste, has achieved nothing:
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rallied his European counterparts Sunday to shore up their borders and throw their full weight behind Ukraine as he announced outlines of a plan to end Russia’s war.
…
Starmer said he had worked with France and Ukraine on a plan to end the war and that the group of leaders — mostly from Europe — had agreed on four things.The steps toward peace would:
- keep aid flowing to Kyiv and maintain economic pressure on Russia to strengthen Ukraine’s hand;
- make sure Ukraine is at the bargaining table and any peace deal must ensure its sovereignty and security; and
- continue to arm Ukraine to deter future invasion.
- Finally, Starmer said they would develop a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine and guarantee the peace.
“Not every nation will feel able to contribute but that can’t mean that we sit back,” he said. “Instead, those willing will intensify planning now with real urgency. The U.K. is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air, together with others.”
It is far from certain whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept any such plan, which Starmer said would require strong U.S. backing. He did not specify what that meant, though he told the BBC before the summit that there were “intense discussions” to get a security guarantee from the U.S.
“If there is to be a deal, if there is to be a stopping of the fighting, then that agreement has to be defended, because the worst of all outcomes is that there is a temporary pause and then Putin comes again,” Starmer said.
Starmer said he will later bring a more formal plan to the U.S. and work with Trump.
That mouse the mountain gave birth to is stillborn:
– Trump has made clear that the U.S. will not agree to back any European forces in Ukraine.
– Zelenski, unless under more pressure, will not agree to a ceasefire without U.S. backing.
– Russia does not agree to any temporary ceasefire. It wants a new permanent security architecture for Europe and beyond.
– Russia does not agree to forces from NATO countries in Ukraine. It started the war to prevent that to happen.
– Russia will not agree to a rearming of Ukraine. Its declared aim is to ‘de-militarize’ the country.
– Russia is winning the war. Neither Starmer nor Europe have the means to prevent it from doing that.
Hellbound and Down 