Diplomats are already worried pro-Russian EU governments could derail the attempt to regain the initiative from Trump ― and save Ukraine.

While French President Emmanuel Macron has talked of the need for “an incredible awakening” and German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz described Europe as being “five minutes to midnight,” the worry from those close to the discussion is that events are happening more quickly than they can cope with.

“The nightmare scenario is that the U.S. announces a deal soon that accepts most of Russia’s demands and then tells Ukraine and Europe to take it or leave it,” said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

And they’re not only scared of the United States. They’re also wary of some of their own. While Thursday’s hastily arranged summit, just days after less formal gatherings in Paris and London, signals an intention to come up with solutions, diplomats are already bracing for a pro-Russia group of leaders led by Hungary’s Victor Orbán derailing the whole thing.

MBFC
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  • Tinidril@midwest.socialEnglish
    432·
    4 days ago

    The Republicans never seem so pathetic when they are out of power. Besides, they have been (intentionally) pathetic for decades, not six weeks. Do you remember Trump disappearing when he lost to Biden?

    At least the midterms is right. This midterm should be an easy sweep for the Democrats, but they are already blowing it. Democratic strategists are already openly declaring their intention to double down yet again on strategies that always fail. No matter how many elections you bungle as a Democratic strategist, they will always take you back.

    • scarabic@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      Yes they do have more problems than losing the last election. Let’s start with the fact that their plan for the future is to become more like republicans because they think that’s obviously what people want now.

      • Tinidril@midwest.socialEnglish
        3·
        3 days ago

        I’m quite familiar with Biden’s accomplishments. How much of that won’t be undone by Trump? It’s no good to make what are really minimalist gains if you are going to throw the next election to a fascist. Biden certainly was an improvement over what we had with Obama and Clinton. So what?

        The sad fact is that the Democratic party oligarchs just figured out the populist mood the country is in and gave Biden permission to loosen the reigns a bit. So he partially turned back just a few of the things we lost over the last 50 years. Income inequality continued getting worse though. That cannot continue if this country is going to survive, and neoliberals are incapable of doing anything that doesn’t make it worse somehow.

        • parrhesiaEnglish
          1·
          2 days ago

          Well I guess my thought process is that this country keeps voting in Republicans in Congress, for judge seats, for presidents, so legally how much can they accomplish when they are in control for just 2 years? Personally I think they should target smaller communities and do more grass roots stuff but that doesn’t help when such important laws like human rights or environmental protections are being immediately stripped.

          • Tinidril@midwest.socialEnglish
            1·
            1 day ago

            But, why were they only in control for 2 years? What is it about Democrats that makes them so pathetic that they can’t beat fascists? They have theory, but it’s the same theory that has failed again,band again, and again, and again. If they just lean a little further right they will capture the precious “center” and start winning. It doesn’t work, and they are doing it again.

            In an age of record inequality and the mass enshitification of everything by wealthy elites, the unstoppable force isn’t bigotry, it’s populism. A populist shift is inevitable. Right wing populism is fascism, and Republicans have embraced it with gusto. Democrats would rather lose elections to fascists than become a left populist party again. It’s that simple.

            The Democrats blame a worldwide rightward shift for their latest loss, and it’s fair enough to see. However, the biggest exception to the trend is just over our southern border. They rejected neoliberalism for Democratic socialism, and their aging male president just successfully handed over power to a younger woman who will continue his work. This is in a country that’s culturally and religiously even more conservative than the US.

            Democrats aren’t victims of our eroding culture, they are the ones responsible for the erosion.