Report: Ukraine’s European Allies Prefer Continuation of War Over Peace Agreement Favoring Russia

European leaders rallying support for Kyiv say they are working to defend a democratic country, uphold international law, and confront Russian aggression.

However, there is another motivation rooted in self-interest: Europe believes that any agreement favoring Moscow carries the risk of triggering a broader war that could engulf the entire continent, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

Russia is in a position to exit peace negotiations with greatly expanded military production capacity, confident in its ability to redraw borders by force and consider NATO weak.

European capitals, having depleted their cash reserves, fear they may have no choice but to increase military spending and major defense preparations, hoping to maintain their deterrent power.

President Trump and his team want a quick resolution to the conflict, which is set to enter its fifth year. For Europe, as for Ukraine, a bad peace agreement that leaves Kyiv weak and vulnerable is worse than having no agreement at all at this time.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday, "The future of Ukraine is closely linked to our future." He added during a virtual meeting mainly involving European countries contributing to Ukraine’s war efforts: "If we cannot achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine, we will have no guarantee for our own security either."

Divergent transatlantic positions represent a more fundamental split. The Trump administration wants the United States and Europe to reach rapprochement with Moscow for what it calls "strategic stability with Russia." The White House says this would reduce the risk of a wider war. Administration officials see potential business opportunities with Russia.

Europe and Ukraine hold the opposite view. They see Russia as a long-term threat and believe any trust must be earned and verified, and until then, Moscow must be deterred.

Russia has accused Europeans—and the United States under the Biden administration—of waging a proxy war against it by supporting Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently warned that Russia is ready for war if Europe seeks it. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kyiv’s allies’ strategy is to "fight to the last Ukrainian" rather than reach a quick settlement. But the Kremlin has not accepted the U.S. peace proposal, nor are there any indications it intends to end the war.

Competing Western perspectives were clear in U.S.-led peace talks over recent months. Disagreements repeatedly strained already volatile relations between Europe and Washington.

A U.S. security document published this month accused Europeans of adopting "unrealistic expectations" about the war. Days before its release, European leaders warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky against agreeing to major concessions in talks with the U.S. before clarifying what Washington would offer if Russia violated a peace deal and attacked Ukraine again.

French President Emmanuel Macron said last month, "We want peace. But not a peace that is actually surrender." He described such an agreement as one "that gives Russia full freedom to continue advancing" and endangers Europe.

A recent survey of 500 European security experts ranked a "ceasefire favoring Russia in its war against Ukraine" as one of the two biggest threats facing the European Union next year. The other threat is hybrid or gray-zone warfare, which many officials have previously said Russia is already waging against Europe.

According to the survey summary prepared by the European University Institute, an EU-affiliated research institution, "The security of the European Union is directly threatened by a peace agreement that would guarantee territorial gains for Moscow, reward aggression, and undermine Ukraine’s long-term continuity as a sovereign democratic state." The report states that a "Russian peace" would signal that the EU is incapable of shaping its security environment or deterring future threats from Russia.