Defence minister: US framework for peace in Ukraine is 'victory for Putin'
Belgium’s Defence minister has described the framework for a peace plan in Ukraine outlined by the US as “a victory” for Russian president Vladimir Putin and “bad news for the West”. Speaking to VRT, Theo Francken also said he did not rule out the possibility of Belgian troops being part of a peacekeeping force.
US president Donald Trump spoke to the Russian and Ukrainian leaders on Wednesday, before announcing that the US and Russia are to begin negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, US Defence secretary Pete Hegseth had said NATO membership was not a realistic option for Ukraine, and ruled out the US sending peacekeeping troops. Any such mission would not be a NATO mission and would therefore not be covered by Article 5, which implies mutual assistance among members of the alliance.
According to Francken, of N-VA, this framework is “quite a victory for Putin”. “He has always said he does not want Ukraine to become a member of NATO and that he should not have to give up any ground he has gained,” Francken said.
He also believes there is a chance that Putin will continue to build up his capabilities and set his sights on Moldova, Georgia and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
“And then it gets very close, because the Baltic states are NATO territory,” he said, reiterating his call for Europe to build up its defence capabilities.
Wake-up call
“If this isn’t a wake-up call, then it will never be,” he said. “Putin will have to recuperate, and we must seize that time to strengthen ourselves. That is the biggest challenge for the West in the next 20 years, or perhaps even the next five or six years.”
If there is ever a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, he does not rule out the participation of Belgian soldiers. “We will have to discuss that at the time. Belgium’s line is clear: we support Ukraine and we support the country’s sovereignty.”
"Ukraine is a sovereign country with territorial integrity, which must always be defended under international law"
Meanwhile, European ministers have emphasised that the US and Russia cannot end the war without Ukraine itself and its European allies.
“There will be no just and lasting peace in Ukraine without the participation of the Europeans,” said France’s Jean-Noël Barrot at a meeting of ministers in Paris. The German and Spanish ministers emphasised again that no decisions can be made without Ukraine.
“Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” was also the motto in Washington until Trump took office. Russia has always pushed for direct consultation with the US.
The high representative of European foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, told journalists on Thursday that it was important that the Ukrainians and Europeans are heard, “whatever the deal is”. “Ukraine is a sovereign country with territorial integrity, which must always be defended under international law,” she said.
Ukraine Defence minister Rustem Umerov and his Belgian counterpart, Theo Francken, 12 February 2025, Brussels © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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