Is Europe Doing Enough To Help Ukraine Stop Putin And End The War?

Should Europe be stepping in rather than letting the Trump administration drive the peace process between Russia and Ukraine?All of Europe is braced to see what – if anything – Donald Trump can get out of his peace talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.The US president triggered fury across the continent when it transpired that he was meeting his Russian counterpart without Ukraine’sVolodymyr Zelenskyy.And while Trump has insisted he will not give away any Ukrainian land without its consent, it’s hard not to conclude that Russia and the States will be the ones to decide what happens next on the European continent.To make matters worse, some experts believe the Trump-Putin summit will be nothing more than a glorified photo op.But, regardless of what the US manages to achieve, there’s still plenty Europe could do to reaffirm its support for Ukraine.Offer up frozen Russian assetsFormer foreign minister of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, told CNN that Europe must “help Zelenskyy resist” any bad deal Trump could come out with by disagreeing with it.“If the United States decides it wants to participate in something as shameful as a pact with Putin, maybe there’s no way to stop it – but let’s not be a part of it,” Landsbergis said. “And Europe needs to be reminded that it is also a power. It has an ability to help Ukraine in the many ways that have not been tried.”He said there is around 190 billion euros’ worth of frozen Russian assets lying in Belgian banks which could help Ukraine sustain its war effort for years.People keep asking "what can Europe do?", but Europe is sitting on €190bn in frozen Russian assets which could be lawfully transferred to Ukraine. And that's just one of the things Europe can do. pic.twitter.com/ckFdrN8TM9— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) August 13, 2025Soft diplomacy – but stronger wordsEurope has made it clear that it stands with Zelenskyy and repeatedly emphasised that Ukraine must be at the heart of any talks – but it could go further, according to experts.For instance, Keir Starmer greeted Zelenskyy outside 10 Downing Street on Thursday morning, and offered him a hug in a clear display of unity.According to the government’s readout, the two leaders “agreed there had been a powerful sense of unity and a strong resolve to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine”.It added: “They looked ahead to tomorrow’s talks between president Trump and president Putin in Alaska, which present a viable chance to make progress as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace.”As the think tank Chatham House warned earlier this year, this kind of messaging does not make it clear just how much danger Europe is in.The think tank said the continent “needs to become much better at careful public messaging” about the real threat Russia poses to Europe.As senior research fellow Armida van Rij wrote: “Any ceasefire or peace deal is unlikely to bring a lasting peace in Europe. Russia will likely regard it as merely a new phase in the war.”This means the general public in Europe has “to understand the necessary trade-offs involved in raising defence spending and other preparedness requirement.”Starmer has already been pressured to use his strong relationship with Trump to discourage him away from Kremlin talking points, and to make sure he only ends the war on terms which suit Ukraine.But the US president is still not cracking down on Putin as much as Europe wants – suggesting the UK is still not getting the right message across.As Jason Israel, from the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), said the number one thing Europe needs to do right now is continue “to show solidarity with Ukraine”.He suggested that showing their long-term commitment to Kyiv would help frustrate Putin, because he has been counting on the erosion of European unity.Keir Starmer, left, talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the garden of 10 Downing Street in London, Thursday Aug. 14, 2025.Military effortsEurope needs to step up the military aid it sends to Ukraine, according to some specialists.Initial plans for Starmer’s “coalition of the willing” – an organisation made up countries keen to support Ukraine against Putin’s aggression – suggested there could be as many as 30,000 troops available to provide some form of support in the event of ceasefire.However, military chiefs have reportedly now dropped the plan and prefer a smaller, “more realistic” alternative.The Times reported that, aside from the UK, larger European nations were concerns that it was too risky to send in that many troops in case it escalated the regional conflict.But, as experts pointed out, one of Putin’s largest demands is for investment in Ukraine and its military to end, suggesting that’s a key concern for Russia.CEPA senior fellow, Eitvydas Bajarunas, said Ukraine needs more defence support.He also said that Ukraine should be “anchored” in the EU by becoming a member – and to do that, “Europe should think how to change the internal decision-making process,” he said.He pointed to the member states who have been reluctant to allow Ukraine to join – like Hungary – and suggested overturning the unilateral decision-making process.Other experts have suggested going even further.In a policy brief for Estonia’s Baltic Defence College back in March, Chatham House’s senior fellow Keir Giles said: “European nations can, and should, and must, steadily and incrementally build their support to Ukraine by providing what they can as soon as they can, including the overt presence of European military forces inside Ukraine.”What might happen next?A lot is currently hanging on what Trump manages to extract from Putin during their meeting.There is plenty of concern that the US will follow through on its earlier promises and just walk away if the president does not manage to make any inroads with Russia.But, even if he does strike some kind of deal, it’s not expected to be very favourable to Ukraine.So one thing is certain: Europe will have to step up.As CEPA’s director of democratic resilience Sam Greene said: “If Europe again fails to seize the initiative, it will have resigned itself – and, with it, Ukraine – to living with a settlement that institutionalises instability and powerlessness. ”Related...Trump Privately Tells European Leaders What Pretty Much Everyone Already Suspects About PutinStarmer Urged To Join Forces With Europe And Canada Against Donald TrumpEuropean Leaders Slap Down Putin's Bid To Get Sanctions Lifted With A Message To Trump

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Is Europe Doing Enough To Help Ukraine Stop Putin And End The War?

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