New US defence secretary Pete Hegseth denied on Thursday that the Trump administration’s push for peace talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin amounted to a “betrayal” of Ukraine. But the fact the question is even being posed tells its own story. Donald Trump’s call with Russia’s leader this week blindsided European capitals, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader and US ally. The president’s approach looks alarmingly like a path to the sellout his partners had feared. European leaders must use all means they can to try to talk Trump round to a more robust stance. But they must get their act together, too, in taking control of their own and Ukraine’s defence.
美国新任国防部长皮特•海格塞斯(Pete Hegseth)周四否认特朗普政府推动与俄罗斯的弗拉基米尔•普京(Vladimir Putin)进行和谈是对乌克兰的“背叛”。但问题的提出本身就说明了一些问题。本周，唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)与俄罗斯领导人的通话让欧洲各国政府和乌克兰领导人及美国盟友弗拉基米尔•泽连斯基(Volodymyr Zelenskyy)措手不及。总统的做法看起来令人担忧，似乎走上了其伙伴所担心的出卖之路。欧洲领导人必须尽一切可能劝说特朗普采取更强硬的立场。但他们也必须团结起来，掌控自己和乌克兰的防务。