Why Donald Trump's shadow looms large over huge Nato training exercise in Ukraine neighbour

Fears that Donald Trump will abandon Ukraine and withdraw the US from Nato must be taken seriously

As the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, prepare to travel to Romania for the first deployment of Nato’s Allied Reaction Force, we can reassure ourselves that they are taking part in an exercise.

‘Steadfast Dart’ is designed to demonstrate the alliance’s ability to mobilise at speed, should the need arise. The UK contingent, of some 2,400 personnel and 730 vehicles, will be joined by forces from Romania, France, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Slovenia and Turkey.

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Whether the absence of the US is significant or not, it may be a situation that Europe’s democracies will need to get used to, given the inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday. Fears he will abandon Ukraine and withdraw the US from Nato are sufficiently well-founded that they must be taken seriously.

On a visit to Ukraine, Keir Starmer said 'we all want this war to end... but right now Putin shows no sign of wanting peace' (Picture: Sergey Shestak)On a visit to Ukraine, Keir Starmer said 'we all want this war to end... but right now Putin shows no sign of wanting peace' (Picture: Sergey Shestak)
On a visit to Ukraine, Keir Starmer said 'we all want this war to end... but right now Putin shows no sign of wanting peace' (Picture: Sergey Shestak) | AFP via Getty Images

The folly of appeasement

So while Keir Starmer’s visit to Kyiv yesterday, his first as Prime Minister, was overdue, it was well timed – despite ‘coinciding’ with a Russian drone attack. If this was a message from Putin, steadfast expressions of solidarity with Ukraine will hopefully send a message back – and also to Washington.

"Let's be clear, we all want this war to end, no one wants that more than Ukrainians, but right now Putin shows no sign of wanting peace," the Prime Minister said. "... we must never lose sight of the absolute need for Ukraine to be in the strongest possible position as we go into 2025."

Trump’s refusal to say that he hoped Ukraine would defeat Russia’s invasion during the US election campaign suggested a willingness to appease a dictator and reward military aggression. All Europe knows where such folly can lead.

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If Putin is allowed to win in Ukraine and then starts looking for new conquests – perhaps of the three Baltic states, all Nato members – the current Cold War with Russia will heat up rapidly.

The next days and weeks should reveal much about whether the brave young soldiers of the RSDG and The Highlanders are training simply to hone their skills or for a battle in which the bullets and bombs are all very real and fired with deadly intent. We wish them well.

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