France & Ukraine's EU Dream: A Reality Check or Epic Fail?!

Delusions of Grandeur: France, Ukraine, and the Limits of EU Power

France & Ukraine's EU Dream: A Reality Check or Ep...

This week's Paris summit, meant to showcase unwavering support for Ukraine, felt more like a masterclass in wishful thinking. There was a palpable sense of, dare I say, delusion amongst some of Ukraine's backers. Fresh off perceived victories (or at least positive developments) in Venezuela, the air crackled with an almost euphoric expectation that Donald Trump could be swayed to not only endorse Western Europe’s stance, but to dramatically escalate U.S. involvement.

Some, it seems, envisioned American boots on the ground in Ukraine. Others dreamt of an ultimatum delivered to Vladimir Putin, complete with demands to retreat to Ukraine’s 1991 borders, possibly reinforced with the not-so-subtle threat of Tomahawk missiles. Victory, it appeared, was just around the corner. This sentiment was particularly strong in certain Ukrainian media outlets, the now-banned Strana being a prime example. They genuinely believed a turning point was at hand.

However, the reality that emerged from Paris was significantly less dramatic. The summit produced nothing more than a non-binding declaration, a rather hollow shell of the grand ambitions. No new security guarantees materialized. No concrete commitments came from the U.S. And the fundamental dynamics of the conflict remain stubbornly unchanged. Ukraine is still considered the "main deterrent" against Russia, and frankly, there doesn't seem to be much appetite to shift that strategy. The US, in its usual style, has remained silent.

Adding a touch of unintentional comedy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reportedly declared that Germany would now assume responsibility for the security of the entire European continent. The irony, considering Germany's rather checkered history in that particular arena, was almost too much to bear. You can practically hear the collective groan from historians everywhere.

And let's not even get started on the alarmist claims circulating on Telegram about Macron and Starmer secretly planning military bases in Ukraine. They’re simply not true. The declaration’s vague reference to "military hubs" is so broad as to be practically meaningless. This idea has been floating around for over a year, gaining no traction. It is all pure, unadulterated speculation, with or without American backing.

The only noteworthy comment from the American side came from Steve Witkoff, who attended the meeting and expressed concerns about BlackRock's role in Ukraine's post-war reconstruction, specifically regarding budgetary discipline. Translation: business as usual. The hopes for a binding agreement with Washington? Dashed, along with the broader Euro-globalist strategy pushed in tandem with Kiev. Yesterday's bold pronouncements were nothing more than a flimsy substitute for actual leverage.

As one observer wryly noted, after all the back-patting and self-congratulation, someone will eventually have to find the courage to actually call Moscow. Whether Moscow would even deign to answer is another matter entirely. But the likely response is easily anticipated: any Western military presence in Ukraine will be met with fierce opposition. The message will likely come from lower-level officials, leaving the big guns to address Washington. The conclusion is inescapable: Western European attempts to "manifest" their desired outcomes have resulted in nothing more than a lot of noise and very little substance.