If Ukraine Collapses, Europe Collapses as Well | Sylvie Kauffmann

The Munich Security Conference in 2025 will be a historic event. During the conference, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance essentially declared the end of the alliance between the United States and Europe. Forum Chairman Christoph Heusgen referred to this year’s conference as a “European nightmare.” Immediately after the event, European leaders gathered twice in Paris. At the end of February, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. Media reports suggest that they will attempt to convince Trump to abandon plans for bilateral peace talks with Russia in exchange for European commitments to ensure Ukraine’s future security. Sylvie Kauffmann, the editorial director of the French newspaper Le Monde, comments that Europeans are deeply unsettled. They have already started discussions about increasing their defense budgets. However, the perception of the Russian threat differs significantly between Western and Eastern Europe. As a result, the conversation between EU leaders and their citizens about reallocating funds for security will likely be difficult and contentious.Journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk speaks with Sylvie Kauffmann about French-American relations, Macron's ability to flatter Trump, the trap with the elections, possible security guarantees for Ukraine, and the way the public confrontation between U.S. President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky is viewed in Europe.