European situation from Ukraine situation

Ukraine under pressure

On February 21 (US time), in an interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as someone who had "no cards" in negotiations for years. In addition, although admitting that Russia attacked Ukraine first, Mr. Trump also blamed President Zelensky and Western leaders more than 3 years ago, emphasizing: "Russia attacked, but they should not have let the attack happen."

Ukraine is in a difficult situation.

Trump stressed that President Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin must sit down at the negotiating table. The White House owner also called on Kyiv to soon sign an agreement that would give Washington priority access to Ukraine's mineral resources.

Not only that, Reuters yesterday (February 22) quoted a number of exclusive sources revealing that US negotiators put pressure on Kyiv to access Ukraine's important minerals. Reuters quoted three informed sources confirming that Washington had raised the possibility of cutting off Kyiv's access to the Starlink satellite internet system. Controlled by billionaire Elon Musk - Mr. Trump's current "right-hand man", Starlink allows Ukraine to receive a lot of important information in combat. If access to this system is lost, Ukraine's combat capabilities could be seriously affected. This is a tragedy for Kyiv when it is being strongly overwhelmed by Russia on the battlefield.

New turning point for Europe?

In an analysis sent to Thanh Nien , Dr. Ian Bremmer, President of Eurasia Group (USA) - the world's leading political risk research and consulting unit, pointed out that Washington's demand for Ukraine's mineral resources is not to ensure Kyiv's future security, but to "recover debt" for what the US spent on Ukraine under Joe Biden.

"Ukraine now recognizes the growing risk that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will reach a ceasefire agreement with terms that Kyiv cannot accept. But they still have the right to decide, because ultimately no ceasefire will materialize unless the Ukrainians give up fighting. They will probably only lay down their arms if they receive security guarantees from Russia. However, Trump has also announced that the US will not deploy peacekeepers to Ukraine, which means Kyiv must look to Europe for security guarantees," Dr. Bremmer added.

The expert said the way Washington and Moscow are negotiating signals that the fate of Ukraine and Europe will be decided by the US and Russia.

"President Putin is not only looking for a deal on Ukraine, but also an overhaul of the European security order. Not only has Putin made it clear that he will not accept any Western support on the ground in Ukraine (even as a peacekeeping force), but he has also demanded the broad security terms set forth by Moscow in its December 2021 ultimatum, including NATO's withdrawal from Eastern Europe and the former Warsaw Pact countries. Meanwhile, President Trump, with his apparent distancing from European allies, seems to be accommodating to Putin's wishes," Dr. Bremmer said.

According to him, if that happens, the US-Russia agreement would be no different from the agreement from the Yalta Conference held in February 1945 that re-divided the world after World War II.

Not only that, what is happening around Ukraine is also causing far-right movements in Europe to increase. In the immediate future, the election scheduled to take place today (February 23) in Germany with the rise of the far-right AfD party has a scenario that will create a big impact on European politics.

Cook Islands reaches mineral deal with China

The Cook Islands said on February 22 that it had reached a five-year agreement with China to jointly explore and research the Pacific nation's rich seabed mineral resources. A joint committee will oversee the partnership, which will include seabed mineral-related training and technology transfer, logistics support and deep-sea ecosystem research, according to AFP. Cook Islands leader Mark Brown said the agreement complements the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Action Plan for 2025-2030 between the two sides.

In recent times, China and the United States have been constantly competing for influence in the Pacific island nations.

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Court accepts Panama Canal concession case

AFP reported that a Panamanian court on February 21 agreed to consider a lawyer's request to cancel the concession contract with CK Hutchinson Holdings, owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, to operate ports at both ends of the Panama Canal. A subsidiary of CK Hutchinson Holdings has managed two of the five ports of the Panama Canal, an agreement that has been in place since 1997. According to court documents, the latest case will consider the "automatic renewal" of the concession until 2047.

The legal challenge comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to take back the canal over concerns about China's influence in the waterway.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cuc-dien-chau-au-tu-the-cuoc-ukraine-185250222200919984.htm