Too Little, Too Late: On Ukraine, Europe is in the Backseat

Last week delivered an unexpected shock to Western capitals: a loosely drafted peace proposal on the war in Ukraine that appeared out of thin air and immediately entered the diplomatic bloodstream. What made it consequential was something else entirely: it arrived without any European imprint.

On Sunday Europe finally released its own outline for peace. But its timing only reinforced the underlying problem: the plan arrived late, reactive rather than strategic and did little to change the perception that others had already set the terms of debate.

For several years, Europe has shouldered a substantial share of the burden. It has financed Kyiv, armed its defence, absorbed refugees and endured economic pressure generated by sanctions and energy disruption. But when a draft ‘peace’ plan suddenly surfaced, Europe found itself responding rather than steering. A conflict reshaping the continent’s security architecture is unfolding without a clearly articulated European position on what a sustainable, legitimate and enforceable settlement must look like.