The dilemma of Europe under the relationship between Europe and America from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine

Recently, a series of developments on the international political scene have attracted attention. First, Ukrainian President Zelensky and US President Trump had a fierce quarrel at the White House, and the US-Ukraine mineral agreement that was originally planned to be signed failed to be reached. European leaders quickly gathered for a summit in London to express their support for Zelensky and develop a peace plan for Ukraine, which they intend to present to the United States. This reflects the current complex situation in Europe, as well as the multiple considerations on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

From a geopolitical point of view, Europe's ties with Ukraine are close. Ukraine is an important buffer zone between Europe and Russia. European countries are well aware that once the situation in Ukraine gets out of control and Russia moves westward, it will directly threaten European security. The geopolitical memory of Europe's repeated wars with Russia, in which Russia seized large swaths of land, has made Europe wary of Russia. In 1938, Britain, France, Germany and Italy signed the Munich Agreement in an attempt to make peace at the expense of Czechoslovakia, but the result was counterproductive, and appeasement eventually pushed the world to war, and Europe was also caught in the flames of war. Now, fearing a repeat of its inaction over the conflict, Europe is standing by Ukraine in an attempt to contain Russia and safeguard its own security.

On the economic front, Europe faces a dilemma in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. On the one hand, many European countries depend on Russia for energy supply, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict has led to sharp fluctuations in energy prices, seriously affecting the stable development of the European economy, increasing production costs of enterprises and people's living costs. But on the other hand, if we stop supporting Ukraine, we are worried that the United States will be dissatisfied, and then affect economic and trade relations with the United States. The United States is an important trading partner and source of investment for Europe, and Europe is economically dependent on the United States. Moreover, the United States has tried to consolidate its dominant position in the global economy and energy market through various means, such as promoting European sanctions against Russia and strengthening its own energy exports, which makes Europe have to weigh carefully in economic decisions.

At the political level, Europe is also divided. Some countries advocate increasing support for Ukraine, hoping to give Ukraine an advantage in the conflict through military aid, so as to ensure European security; Others worry that getting too involved in the conflict will bring more risks to their political stability and finances. In Germany, for example, there is a debate about whether to continue to increase aid to Ukraine, because it is not only related to the increase in military spending, but also related to energy cooperation with Russia. At the same time, the attitude of Europe and the United States to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is also divided. After taking office, Trump made it clear that he would stop aid to Ukraine and seek cooperation with Russia to end the war, which is contrary to the position of some European countries. Europe sees the move as a betrayal of its Allies and damage to European interests. However, Europe is inseparable from the support of the United States, NATO still occupies an important position in the European security and defense system, and the support of the United States in military and intelligence aspects is crucial to Europe.

There are deeper reasons behind Europe's push for a peace plan and seeking US support. By leading the peace plan, Europe hopes to gain more say in negotiations on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and avoid being marginalized by the United States and Russia. But the Europeans also know that a peace plan would be difficult to implement without US support. Russia has reacted strongly to the European peace plan, seeing it as an excuse to continue the war in order to create new arms supplies for Ukraine. In this context, Europe needs the military and political support of the United States to strengthen its negotiating position and get Russia to take the European peace proposal seriously.

Europe is in a dilemma in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, trying to protect its own security and interests while balancing relations with the United States and Russia. On the other hand, the position and decision-making of the United States in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine are more based on its own interests, using Ukraine as a pawn in its geopolitical game, and taking little consideration of the interests of its European Allies. In the future, if Europe wants to escape this dilemma and achieve true strategic autonomy, it needs to strengthen solidarity and cooperation in international affairs, reduce its dependence on the United States, and formulate policies that meet its long-term interests.