Yuri Kobzar22:58, 21.11.25

German journalists believe that if such a “peace plan” is implemented, it will not only be Ukraine that will be in danger.

Europe is shocked and outraged by the “peace plan” for Ukraine that US President Donald Trump is trying to impose. The German press writes that it looks as if Ukraine attacked Russia and is now being punished for it. DW quotes excerpts from the publications .

The Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel sees a direct historical parallel with the infamous “Munich Betrayal” of 1938, when Britain and France forced Czechoslovakia to cede part of its territory to Germany. The newspaper emphasizes that Ukraine is being forced not only to cede part of its territory but also to disarm, something even Hitler did not demand of the Czechs.

“Now [the situation] is becoming dangerous: for Ukraine, but also for Germany and Europe. (…) In sum, Trump’s plan means Ukraine’s capitulation. The situation is reminiscent of the appeasement policy pursued by British Prime Minister Chamberlain in Munich in 1938. To appease Hitler, he went ahead with the partition of Czechoslovakia. The Great War began a year later,” the newspaper writes.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper sees a historical parallel with the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, when, following World War I, Germany was forced to cede Alsace and Lorraine to France. However, back then, Germany was the aggressor, for which it ultimately paid the price. Now, the newspaper notes, the victim of aggression is being punished by the loss of territory.

“They are being punished with conditions unbearable for a sovereign country because Russia launched an aggressive war against their country, contrary to international law. Meanwhile, Moscow is being encouraged by the conquest of territory and the prospect of forcing the rest of Ukraine under its yoke. After all, weakened and demoralized, it will be unable to repel a second invasion by the Russian army, which is arming itself on a massive scale,” the publication states. 

The Munich newspaper Die Süddeutsche Zeitung examines the situation with “evil sarcasm.”

“Trump’s proposals allegedly consist of 28 points. But overall, just one would be enough. The document would then look like this: at the top, the heading would read ‘Peace Plan,’ underneath: ‘Point 1: Ukraine Surrenders.’ And at the bottom: ‘Signatories: Donald J. Trump, President of the United States; Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of the Russian Federation,'” the newspaper writes.

The Cologne-based newspaper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger believes that having lost Ukraine under Trump’s “peace plan,” Europe itself will find itself in mortal danger. 

“If European states don’t want the European peace and security order to collapse completely, they have no right to bend to Trump’s dictate. Putin has long been arming himself for a major war against Europe. Without Ukrainian resistance, Europe currently has little power to counter him,” the article states.

(c)UNIAN 2025