By Tetyana Ogarkova

At the beginning of March this year I left Kyiv with a very heavy heart. I was on my way to France for two days to attend a symposium on Ukraine. As a result, I was not able to attend an important ceremony in Kyiv. Our friend, poet Svitlana Povalyaeva, would be at the Maidan, the capital’s central square, organising a final goodbye ceremony for her eldest son, Vassyl, who at 28 years old, fell in battle. His younger brother Roman was killed in battle in the summer of 2022 liberating the Kharkiv region. He was 24 years old.

I boarded the train, my stomach in knots. I had left behind my three children at our family home. It was not the first time I had set out for a short stint abroad during the war. But this time I was overcome with dread.

I knew that in imminent danger of Russian ballistic missiles, my phone’s warning system would not show red. For a few days I would be 2 000 kilometres from home, with no access to information about my daughters’ safety. It was unbearable.

If the warning system were to fail, it would be because the United States had cut off intelligence to Ukraine, including for the early detection of ballistic missiles from Russian territory. They had also suspended military aid, going so far as to block equipment already sent to Poland.

A few days later, I returned to Ukraine. Negotiations between Ukrainian, American and Saudi Arabian delegations had taken place during this time. Ukraine was ready for a total, immediate ceasefire – if Russia did the same. Donald Trump was satisfied. American intelligence returned, along with the military aid agreed during the Biden administration.

But the trust is gone. Once betrayed, it’s hard to pretend that everything is ok.

Does Europe share this feeling of betrayal? The age of the NATO security umbrella under American leadership is over. The MAGA crowd is turning away. They plan to minimise the military and humanitarian presence in Europe and are bringing Russia, the aggressor, out of its diplomatic and economic isolation.

If Trump wants a ceasefire in Ukraine as quickly as possible and no matter how, it is because he does not consider the Ukrainian plight important. He just wants to minimise costs to the US budget. The US no longer participates in meetings such as those held at the Ramstein base, and no further US military assistance is planned for the current year.

Peace at the cost of Ukrainian defeat does not perturb the US administration. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg propose plans to divide Ukraine into two or three separate parts – a mirror of post-war Nazi Germany. As if Ukraine were the aggressor that had lost the war.

But Europe is also under threat. If Trump plans to reduce the number of US troops in Europe and demands 5% contributions to the defence budget of each NATO member country, it is because he believes that Europe’s defence is a European problem.

Russia is watching. To Russia, NATO without US leadership is neither a force of defence nor a deterrent. How long would it take to build a ‘Europe of defence’ capable of single-handedly ensuring its own security? If this question feels too abstract for you, try answering this one: who, of the Europeans, will go to defend the Baltics if Russia launches an attack following its training operations in Belarus in September 2025?

In the wake of America’s betrayal, Europe has been given a very clear choice: defend Ukraine today as it would defend itself, or face the Russian army on its own territory tomorrow. This fight will not be easy, but no battle is lost before it begins.

In late March, a survey to gauge Ukrainian public opinion caught my eye. More than 80% of Ukrainians are prepared to continue the fight against Russia, even without US support.

It remains to be seen how many Europeans will stand with us.