War Without End? Key Takeaways from Zelenskyy’s Meeting with Trump

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The war is dragging on. With EU support, Ukraine has a chance to restore its borders — the key message from Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump. It may sound like the most favorable statement for Kyiv, but should Ukrainians really celebrate the American president’s sudden “insight” into Putin’s unwillingness to seek peace?

Because in reality, this message means that the United States is increasingly distancing itself from resolving a difficult war, shifting the responsibility for Europe’s security onto Europe itself. Washington is no longer giving us weapons — it is selling them. And while that may be acceptable, it is far from unconditional support.

But how much capacity will the EU and NATO actually have to keep buying these weapons? And will the Ukrainian authorities have enough professionalism — and, most importantly, conscience — to manage the funds allocated to the defense industry effectively, to invest in genuinely powerful developments rather than squander resources on the “ambitious” projects of adventurous structures with loud names but little visible combat impact? For now, Russia is still being struck by the “Neptune” missile — a weapon put into production only after earlier versions, which had been nearly eliminated by the very same “doves of peace” who were in power before the full-scale war.

Europe is providing unprecedented assistance to Ukraine. But even that will not last forever. Which means we must rely increasingly on our own strength. Yet if we look at the government’s program of activities and the draft budget for 2026, defense spending is set to rise by only 1.5%. In practice, this is a cut, given both inflation and the fact that in 2025 the defense budget had to be revised and tripled.

And Trump has repeatedly threatened the EU — both from the UN podium and in other venues — over its reliance on Russian oil. Yet the continent is still being supplied through the Druzhba pipeline, whose contract was renegotiated in December 2019 under Zelenskyy. It is long past time to end this transit. How can we demand anything from Slovakia and Hungary when we ourselves are enabling this bloody Russian export?

European Solidarity registered the relevant resolution long ago. As usual, it has never been brought to the floor.

As a reminder, on September 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US leader Donald Trump. Zelenskyy informed Trump about the successes on the front. In particular, according to him, within several months, the Defense Forces managed to reoccupy 360 square kilometers and capture about a thousand Russian soldiers.

In turn, the American president is convinced that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who does not want to give up Russian oil, will soon change his mind. He also emphasized that the Russian economy is in a difficult situation, and Ukraine is successfully stopping its army.

In addition, US President Donald Trump spoke at the UN General Assembly, making several statements regarding the war in Ukraine, Russian oil, and the Biological Weapons Convention.

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