The dangers of revising Europe's security architecture

European leaders have found compromises in response to many of US President Donald Trump's demands, but were surprised to hear him say that he raised Europe's security framework with Russian officials. "It's going to be a big agreement and it's going to involve more than Ukraine," Trump said after meeting Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House last week.

European Concerns

US envoy Jared Kushner also wrote that Europe and Russia had struggled to establish a sustainable security framework for more than 30 years, saying he was looking at a "broader" European architecture before meeting with Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Abu Dhabi.

European diplomats immediately pushed back on Washington's approach to secure a peace deal in Ukraine because they feared that a peace settlement could restore Russia's sphere of influence and undermine NATO.

We already have European security architecture in place. NATO and the European Union both have their respective roles. We must make sure Ukraine is integrated into this architecture, said Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief.

Russian Position

Russia made clear during talks in Abu Dhabi that they were keen to discuss a broader European security framework before tackling the specifics of the war. Russian leaders, including Vladimir Putin, have long alleged that the US and NATO repeatedly violated pledges they made in the early 1990s not to expand the alliance into the former Soviet bloc.

Michael Kimmage, a historian of the Cold War, noted that "phrases about the European security architecture are certainly Russian talking points and not only talking points but, to a degree, part of a media propaganda effort that Russia makes to frame the war as it wishes to frame the war."

Historical Context

In the 1990s, while the European project saw the birth of the EU, single market, Schengen agreement, and euro, there were even suggestions of Russia becoming a NATO member. "Europe can mean so many things, but the European project was not designed for war. It was designed for peace," said Kimmage.