The past week seems to have been characterized by an intense debate on the new positions expressed by the White House with respect to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and, consequently, with respect to the peace negotiations initiated directly between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in the absence not only of Ukraine, but even of Europe since, according to the US President himself, in three years of conflict, neither Ukraine nor the European Union have achieved anything on a diplomatic level to reach peace. These latter circumstances would seem to require careful reflection not only on the changes that suddenly seem to be maturing on the international geopolitical level , and which would seem not to consider the European Union , Italy evidently included, as a reference Player, but also on the different narrative (if one wanted to define it that way) that the current White House would seem (the conditional is a must) to want to offer on the reasons and wrongs that would be at the basis of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and that could prove to be entirely suitable to undermine the trust of European citizens towards their governments of reference. Let's be clear: there is no question about the fact, in and of itself considered, that US President Donald Trump wants to negotiate an agreement to put an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The aspect, probably singular, that in this regard would seem to emerge, would seem to highlight an initiative, of an almost private nature, between the two leading exponents of what were once considered the so-called two Worlds: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. It being understood that, to date, the real needle in the balance, would seem to be represented by Xi-Jin-Ping's China , forming a perfect triangulation between the potential major centers of interest. A new World with three spheres of influence would seem to be approaching. Beyond what could be revealed to be the intentions of the parties involved for the construction and articulation of an agreement between Russia and Ukraine, therefore, what force could the European Union, in the person of the Presidents of each of the three main European Institutions (Roberta Metsola for the European Parliament, Antonio Costa for the European Council and Ursula Von der Leyen for the European Commission), deploy to make its voice heard on the point? Can the Trump-Putin negotiation really undermine the European space in terms of security? What renewed role could Vladimir Putin and his Russia express, not only with respect to the conflict in question, but rather with respect to the political and social development of the historical context of immediate reference and of new formation? What role could be reserved for Europe as a whole (including Italy which would indeed appear, and probably, not to be able to express even a role as a "bridge builder" through its Presidency of the Council, if not at the risk, still probably, of weakening the European institutions as a whole, agreements which, however, could well not ratify its work unless otherwise authorized) in what appears to be an alternative diplomatic path initiated by the United States? Can Donald Trump, net of any evaluation of the ideology manifested in the circumstance, be considered as an impartial and equidistant mediator between the two parties? What future can the European Union carve out for itself as a "single complex" on the economic, political and military level? Translated into money: can the European Union support Ukraine alone? Probably the only answer to this last question can be negative. If the situation does not change, a hypothesis of an agreement could crystallize that would see on one side the United States and Russia in the subjective figures of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, respectively, and on the other the Ukraine of Volodimir Zelensky, who could likely find himself in the position of having to cede what would appear to be significant mineral resources to the Americans as a guarantee for the protection of its territory. Even more so when, the White House itself has (the conditional is always a must) already expressed itself negatively with respect to the possibility both of Ukraine recovering the borders existing before 2014, and of Ukraine itself joining NATO. Time will tell, then. The European Union understood as a unit must be able to make its voice heard and assert its role in the international context.

Giuseppina Di Salvatore – Lawyer, Nuoro

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