Karina Bovsunovska16:33, 30.08.25

The publication emphasizes that White House officials are losing patience with European leaders.

Senior White House officials believe that some European leaders publicly support US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine, but are secretly trying to undermine the progress made behind the scenes since the Alaska summit, Axios reports , citing sources. 

Two weeks after a summit between Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, little progress has been made in ending the war. Trump aides say the blame lies with European allies, not the US and Russian presidents. 

“White House officials are losing patience with European leaders who, in their view, are pressuring Ukraine to seek unrealistic territorial concessions from Russia,” Axios emphasizes.

The publication’s journalists also learned that the sanctions that the US is calling on Europe to impose against Russia include a complete halt to all oil and gas purchases, as well as the EU’s imposition of additional tariffs on India and China. 

“Europeans cannot continue this war and maintain unreasonable expectations while expecting America to bear the costs. If Europe wants to escalate this war, that will be its decision. But it will be hopelessly snatching defeat from the clutches of victory,” a senior White House official told Axios.

According to American officials, the Europeans are pressuring Zelensky to reach a “better deal” and to pursue a maximalist approach that, according to Trump’s entourage, has only made the situation worse. 

Americans also believe that British and French officials are taking a more constructive stance, but they complain that other major European countries want the United States to bear all the costs of the war.

“Achieving a deal is the art of the possible. But some Europeans continue to operate in a fairyland, ignoring the fact that it takes two to tango,” the senior official added.

In turn, a White House official said that Trump is seriously considering abandoning diplomatic efforts until one or both sides begin to show greater flexibility. 

“We’ll sit and watch. Let them fight for a while and then see what happens,” he remarked.

In particular, some American officials have begun to view European leaders as the main obstacle, despite the fact that less than two weeks ago, Trump held a friendly meeting with them and Zelensky. 

Meanwhile, a senior European official involved in negotiations with the United States over the war between Ukraine and Russia was surprised by the criticism from the United States. He said he did not expect the United States to believe that European leaders were playing one game with Trump and another behind his back. The official stressed that in reality there are no such differences. 

In addition, he added that European countries are already working on a new package of sanctions against Russia.

(C)UNIAN 2025