The war in Ukraine has been raging for over three years now, with no sign of peace. History teaches us that wars are often profitable, and that reality ties closely to today’s gospel readings, which remind us how easily human ambition and wealth can become obstacles to God’s kingdom.
After the Alaska summit with President Putin, President Trump hosted yet another high-stakes meeting yesterday at the White House with eight European leaders to discuss the war.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
French President Emmanuel Macron
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
Finnish President Alexander Stubb
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (Note: Rutte is Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the actual NATO Secretary General is different)
This was not an ordinary summit. The BBC described it as a wartime crisis meeting, an urgent show of unity and support for Ukraine during escalating tensions with Russia. Among the key topics on the agenda were:
Security guarantees for Ukraine, including proposals similar to NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense commitments
Europe presenting a united front, rejecting any forced territorial concessions to Russia
Building momentum toward peace talks, including discussions about possible trilateral negotiations with Zelenskyy, Trump, and Putin. That could actually happen soon rather than later.
It is worth mentioning that, the Prime Minister of UK Starmer called the outcome “real progress, a historic step” toward peace and security for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the United Kingdom.
We can all agree that these discussions are complicated, layered with politics, diplomacy, and power. Yet in less than twenty-four hours, reports emerged of massive multiple attacks across Ukraine.
It raises the question: were the Alaska talks on Friday and the White House gathering yesterday genuine efforts for peace, or mere theater? Could they even have been a subtle green light to Putin to continue his campaign of bombing and territorial ambitions?
Trump may soon find himself in a position where he feels like a rock caught in a hard place. What can he truly offer to resolve a war he once promised to end? The world watches, waiting to see. Best case for Mr. Trump might be to get the two leaders into the same room together to talk vis-a-vis and be the moderator.
Meanwhile, there is yet another war ongoing in Gaza with so much suffering. That atrocity would soon be two years old and no solution to ending it. That, my friends, is where we are. Profits and wealth over human lives.
-Pal Ronnie-
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