They don’t have to make deals with Putin, he can’t handle the EU, and America will only help him economically. The EU is the last democratic super block, they need to stand up for those of us that still want democracy to survive. I’m Canadian, we’re fucked. Japan just signed a comprehensive security pact with the EU. Obviously they have fascist leaders inside the house as well, but really, NATO is dead, we need them to step up. Here’s hoping, with little conviction.
You have to frame everything in terms that apply to trump. His goal is to be in a room with Putin, being praised for dealing with the Ukraine problem. He wants to be acknowledged by another dictator and strong man, that’s it. He’ll definitely pressure both Ukraine and their European supporters to accept Russian conquest of Ukrainian territory so he can get a ceasefire. It’s not because he hates Ukraine, he probably doesn’t care about them at all, it’s just the pursuit of affirmation for himself. It’s up to Europe, and hopefully RoK, to push forward and give democracy a win to raise everyone’s morale.