Europe answers Trump’s call on Ukraine

(Zachary Basu – Axios) Four years after Russia’s invasion, Europe has quietly replaced the United States as the engine of Ukraine’s survival. Why it matters: President Trump and his allies have long insisted that Europe — not Washington — should shoulder the cost of the continent’s largest land war since World War II. In 2025, European governments and institutions answered that call — surging military aid by 67% and financial and humanitarian support by 59%, according to the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker. Over the same period, U.S. aid effectively ground to a halt — with Trump forcing NATO allies to buy American weapons and bankroll Ukraine’s defense themselves. Zoom in: Top European officials argue that this new dynamic entitles them to a seat at the negotiating table, where U.S. envoys have spent months pressing Ukraine and Russia to end the war. – Europe answers Trump’s call on Ukraine