Trump & Putin's Peace Plan: What will the EU do?

This speech was originally delivered by Dutch MP Ralf Dekker, in a plenary debate on the Ukraine-conflict on 18 February 2025.

Chairman,

Formally, the Cold War came to an end around the year 1990. However, the deeper layers in US politics, the bureaucratic undercurrent which is known as the Deep State, never wanted to accept that.

With instruments of US influence power, such as USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy, this Deep State organised countless regime change operations, colour revolutions and other interventions around the old Soviet Union. NATO kept advancing. Kosovo was annexed and in Chechnya, Georgia, Moldova and Kazakhstan, too, US officials, arms companies and mega-investors tried to expand the Yankee sphere of influence - entirely in the spirit of the Cold War, which was formally over as said, but which essentially continued.

For 30 years, America has thus been increasing pressure on Russia. So too in Ukraine, where from 1992 onwards anti-Russian groups were supported, militias were armed and eventually even a coup d'état was carried out by the Americans, resulting in a promise of NATO membership.

So we are dealing with a proxy war, namely of the United States against Russia. A proxy war that has been carried out in numerous countries in more or less hybrid ways, and which is currently being fought on the territory of Ukraine. 

This war, triggered purely by US provocations, is being won hands down by Russia,  entirely in line with all expectations. From the outset, NATO has been hopeless.

The new US administration, led by Donald Trump, can see this. Economic sanctions have not worked. While the West is struggling with stagnation and recession, high debt, deindustrialisation and skyrocketing energy prices, Russia is doing well economically with more than 4 per cent economic growth, a significant increase in industrial output, hardly any debt, an investment boom and falling inflation.

While the Russian military is now stronger, bigger and better equipped than ever before, Ukraine has suffered huge losses militarily. The West does not have much military capacity left either: equipment stocks have shrunk significantly and there is far too little production capacity to replenish them. 

So it is hopeless. But thank God US policy towards Ukraine and Russia is now finally turning around. 

In the conversation between Rubio and Lavrov that took place today, there is even talk of wanting to normalise the relationship again.  Then all sanctions would soon be off the table and peace could finally return.

And what are the European countries doing? They met last night in Paris, where, led by Macron, they discussed how to continue the existing policy anyway.

A ludicrous affair, because while Elon Musk is dismantling the deep state as we speak, Trump and Putin are shaping the world of tomorrow - and these European lackeys stand helplessly simmering on the sidelines, hoping that an a priori hopeless and utterly pointless war will only continue endlessly.

Absurd. And deeply sad.

Chairman,

In our view, the best option now would be for the whole of Europe to repent and if common sense were to break out across the board. Unfortunately, through years of incessant NATO war propaganda, the European political elite itself seems to have come to believe in Russia's intensely bad intentions and Ukraine's good chances of defeating Russia. A fantasy.

We need to understand that Europe is choosing to carry on regardless and wants to plunge even further into this pointless and unwinnable war. 

In that case, Chairman, the Netherlands should dare to go it alone. 

It would be a wonderful opportunity for our country to take a diplomatic lead again. As the first European country, as a Guide Country, move with Trump and also normalise relations with Russia. The economy will benefit, and we will help end the senseless bloodshed. 

Thank you!