Here is a more clear interview with a military expert about the “peace negotiations” of the orangutan with Putin:
Putin and Trump Agree on Immediate Negotiations to End the Russian War of Aggression Against Ukraine: Military Expert Gustav Gressel Sees Major War in Europe as Nearly Inevitable and Urges German Decision-Makers to Take Action
An Interview by Marie Illner
Q: U.S. President Trump and Kremlin Chief Putin spoke on the phone and apparently agreed on immediate negotiations regarding the Ukraine war. What does this mean militarily – is this the breakthrough for peace?
Gustav Gressel: This is not the breakthrough for great peace; it’s the breakthrough for a great war. Now it is certain, truly certain, that this will not remain a war limited to Ukraine. In the coming years, if not months, we will face a major war over Europe.
Q: What leads you to this conclusion?
GG: Ukraine is being thrown under the bus. Any ceasefire that Trump babbles about won’t last long without American weapons support and without serious security guarantees.
Q: The U.S. made it clear in Brussels yesterday that they expect concessions from Kyiv – including abandoning NATO membership. Additionally, Europeans are expected to largely support Ukraine alone and secure peace militarily – without American troops.
GG: Putin will not take a ceasefire on good faith seriously. For Russia, these negotiations only serve to create conditions for a more favorable continuation of the war, under better circumstances than they currently have. Putin achieved this by flattering Trump and deceiving him during the phone call.
Q: What do you think Putin asked of Trump?
GG: Trump is an extremely limited, narcissistic person, and as such, he fell completely for Putin’s ploys. Putin likely flattered him personally – you can see this from Trump’s statements about the “glorious past.” The cunning KGB veteran led the schoolboy Trump around the dance floor and played him like a fiddle.
Q: And now?
GG: Europe cannot support Ukraine in this war, nor in the continuation war, on its own. It’s also pointless to ponder how to get along with Trump. He is a coward who immediately backs down when confronted with serious consequences. He already caved to China, North Korea, and Iran, and now he’s caving to Russia. Instead of being nice to him, Europe needs power tools to build counter-pressure.
There should be no taboos: Immediately withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty would be a serious and legally justified threat to consider. It’s highly unlikely that Trump would throw America’s nuclear weight into the balance to stop an attack on Europe.
“The Americans are using their nuclear privilege to engage in blatant coercion.”
Q: You’re referring to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which commits nuclear-armed states to pursue complete nuclear disarmament, while non-nuclear states renounce nuclear weapons.
GG: We see that the nuclear powers, both Russia and the U.S., have completely failed to meet their obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. These obligations also apply to the security of other states according to the UN Charter. Russia has already broken this, and the Americans are not defending it. On the contrary, they are using their nuclear privilege to engage in blatant coercion. This cannot continue.
Q: What should Europe do now?
GG: If we all contribute to a joint European or, in the extreme case, a German nuclear weapons program, we could meet Trump’s demand for five percent [of GDP for defense spending]. In my view, this is the only way to preserve European independence and security. We must be clear: Russia’s goal isn’t just about Ukraine; it’s about dominating Europe. The destruction of Ukraine is the prerequisite for dominating Europe – and now this goal is within reach.
For Germany’s security, having a reliable nuclear deterrent is essentially unavoidable. The American deterrent is no longer credible after recent events. That much is clear.
Q: Could this still prevent a major war?
GG: We now need a nuclear deterrent that can deter the Russians. Ukraine was attacked because it signed the Budapest Memorandum and the NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty]. The Russian army is currently conventionally superior to the Europeans. If, as Hegseth said in Brussels, Europeans have to take over conventional defense entirely by themselves and Russia wins in Ukraine, then a victorious, overconfident army would be at our doorstep – one that could only be deterred by Trump’s resolute nuclear threat. But no one believes in that anymore.
Another problem is that, from Putin’s perspective, it’s more advantageous to start the war over Europe sooner rather than later. Even if we now invest the five percent, it would take time to produce equipment, train soldiers, and so on. The sooner Putin attacks, the better it is for him. The time we would have needed for rearmament would have been bought by Ukraine. But now Ukraine is being pushed to the brink.
At the very least, we should try to prevent this major European war by our own means. Whether that’s even possible is questionable. This is, of course, due to Europe’s failures over the past 30 years. But that’s water under the bridge. Now every effort must be made to prevent this war: through military support for Ukraine and massive rearmament without taboos.
Gustav Gressel is an expert in security policy, military strategy, and international relations. He completed officer training and studied political science at the University of Salzburg. His focus is on Eastern Europe, Russia, and the foreign policies of major powers.
