Summary
A senior White House team, led by Steve Witkoff and Mike Waltz, is traveling to Saudi Arabia to set up Ukraine peace talks, excluding both Ukraine and Europe from negotiations.
This move raises concerns about sidelining key stakeholders while favoring direct U.S.-Russia discussions. European leaders, including Macron and Starmer, are meeting in Paris to respond.
Trump’s team has hinted at lifting Russian sanctions, a stance welcomed by the Kremlin.
NATO allies are wary of U.S. inquiries on security guarantees for Ukraine, fearing strategic leaks.
There’s no such thing as “authorization”. The US can make whatever deals it likes, it doesn’t mean Ukraine has to listen. There’s no such thing as “international enforcement” in the first place, just individual nations flexing power on other nations.
US weapons are important to Ukraine, so the US could flex that power and try to make Ukraine do what it says by withholding them, but if they think they can go it alone or Europe steps up, they don’t need to listen.