Western European leaders are increasingly concerned that the US could withdraw from the conflict in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.
Officials fear that US President Donald Trump could strike a deal with Moscow that leaves Kiev's remaining supporters in charge of managing the conflict without Washington's military or security support, the media said, citing sources.
On Tuesday, Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, visited Moscow to discuss possible paths to a resolution with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin called the talks "necessary" and "useful" but rejected parts of the U.S. proposal. However, Trump said the negotiators left Moscow convinced that both sides want to end the conflict.
A Western European official quoted by Bloomberg described the worst-case scenario as a complete US withdrawal, lifting of pressure on Russia, a ban on Ukraine's use of US weapons and an end to intelligence sharing.
A less damaging option would be for the US to withdraw from the talks but continue to sell weapons to NATO for onward transfer to Ukraine, while intelligence cooperation would be maintained.
The concern has been exacerbated by Trump's release of a 33-page National Security Strategy, which warned that Europe risked being "wiped off the face of the earth" if it did not overhaul its politics and culture.
The document accused Washington’s European partners of having “unrealistic expectations” about the conflict and of displaying a “lack of confidence” in relations with Russia. It also stated that the US remained “open to structured diplomatic channels with Russia” whenever such engagement aligned with broader American interests.
“The risk remains that the US will walk away from the whole issue and leave it in the hands of the Europeans,” said John Foreman, the former UK defence attaché to Moscow and Kiev.
Earlier, Bloomberg reported that Witkoff had advised Russia on how to craft a peace proposal that Trump might find acceptable. In parallel, Macron reportedly warned that the US could “betray” Ukraine, while Merz was said to have accused Washington of “playing games.”
