With ‘stop the killing’ instead of ‘ceasefire’, EU tries Trump-pleasing language shift on Ukraine
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (centre, right) during his meeting with US President Donald Trump (centre, left) and European and Nato leaders at the White House in Washington on Aug 18.
PHOTO: AFP
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- The EU has shifted from demanding a "ceasefire" in Ukraine to urging Russia to "stop the killing," aiming to align with Trump's focus on a peace deal.
- EU leaders, including von der Leyen and Costa, emphasise the "effect" of stopping the killings, prioritising action over specific terminology like "ceasefire".
- Despite the semantic shift to appease Trump, leaders like Merz and Macron stress that halting the violence through any means is essential.
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BRUSSELS – The European Union has dropped its calls for a “ceasefire” in Ukraine and is instead demanding that Russia “stop the killing”, in a semantic shift that aims to grab the ear of US President Donald Trump.
Having failed to yield a breakthrough on a pause in fighting when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week, Mr Trump has pivoted to seeking a full peace deal.
Brussels, which as recently as last week insisted that a ceasefire should proceed with any peace talks, has since adapted its language.
“The message for us is: stop the killing. Anything that stops the killing is welcome,” European Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta said at a press conference on Aug 19.
Her remarks echoed the words of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen who, speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels on Aug 17, said the “effect” was more important than the “term”.
“And the effect must be: stop the killing,” she said. “That’s the most important part. Whether we call it a ceasefire or a peace deal, stop the killing.”
European Council president Antonio Costa used a different formulation, telling a press conference in Lisbon on Aug 19 that “as a first step, Russia must immediately end the violence”.
“Our top priority must be to stop the killings. Whether we call it a ceasefire or a truce is secondary,” he said.
European sources said Mr Trump now disliked the term “ceasefire”, and the intention was to avoid antagonising the US President on a matter of form as high-stakes negotiations on Ukraine and European security were under way.
Yet, at the White House summit
“I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire, so let’s work on that and let’s try to put pressure on Russia,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
French President Emmanuel Macron summed it up by saying that “a truce, a ceasefire or at least, to stop the killings” was “a necessity”. AFP
