“Naming an object poorly means adding to the misfortune of this world”. European diplomacy seems to want to follow this recommendation of Albert Camus dating from 1944. And the objective is clear: not to offend Washington on Ukraine.
No more calls for a ceasefire: for a few days, the European Union has rather urged Russia to “stop massacres”. This expression, which almost means the same thing, has the merit of not annoying Donald Trump.
A change from the Trump-Putin summit
Brussels has been pressing Moscow for months to accept a ceasefire in Ukraine, arguing that the negotiations for “fair and lasting” peace cannot succeed as long as fighting. If this position remains unchanged, the European executive has however slightly adapted his vocabulary to the issue since the summit between the American president and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. After this meeting in Alaska, Donald Trump, who so far threatened Russia with sanctions if she did not accept a cease-fire, asked “to go directly to a peace plan” to end a “horrible war”.
“Our message is clear: stop the massacres. Anything that can stop the massacres is welcome, “said Arianna Podesta, spokesperson for the committee on Tuesday. Questioned on Sunday on the need to call for a ceasefire in Ukraine, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen had dodged: “I do not think that the term is so important that this”. “That we call it a ceasefire, or a peace agreement […] What matters is its effect, and the massacres must be stopped, ”assured the head of the European executive.
On Tuesday, the president of the European Council António Costa also highlighted an alternative formulation: “As the first step, Russia must immediately end violence […] Our absolute priority must be to stop the massacres. Whether we talk about ceasefire or truce is secondary ”.
Merz does not change anything
In the corridors of European institutions, it is explained that the decision was made not to upset Donald Trump on a question of vocabulary in the middle of difficult negotiations on Ukraine and European security.
Our file on the war in Ukraine
European leaders, however, have not all adopted this change in vocabulary. During a meeting with Donald Trump on Monday at the White House, the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz insisted several times on the need for a “ceasefire” prior to negotiations of a peace agreement on Ukraine.