The White House sent a harsh message to European leaders

The G20 summit of the world's strongest economies was supposed to deal with the issue of easing the debt burden of developing countries, the global energy transition and global food security in Johannesburg, South Africa, over the weekend.

However, it was completely overshadowed by US President Donald Trump's political tsunami with his peace plan to end the war in Ukraine. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen could hardly focus on the summit agenda in Johannesburg.

Europeans' hopes that Trump would toughen up on Russia in order to force it to agree to such conditions for ending the war that could be more favorable for Ukraine and Europe turned out to be illusory.

On the table is a plan prepared by the proxies of the US and Russian presidents, Steve Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, based more on Moscow's ideas, which at the same time puts American interests at the forefront and does not count on either Ukraine or Europe.

At the December European Council, the leaders of the 27 may no longer have to rack their brains over how to confiscate 200 billion euros of frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.

The plan envisages that $100 billion of them will be put into a US-led Ukraine reconstruction fund, with the latter receiving 50 percent of the profits. And Europe is to contribute another 100 billion to increase the volume of investments to support Ukraine. It is envisaged that the rest of the frozen Russian assets will be released and put into a separate Russian-American investment vehicle for joint projects. Is it possible to imagine an even greater humiliation of Brussels?

European leaders in Johannesburg said they rejected the current form of the peace plan, although they welcomed US efforts to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine and considered it a basis for further negotiations.

But will Trump listen to them? We are currently seeing his "traditional" negotiation scenario: an ultimatum to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept the plan by the US Thanksgiving, that is, by Thursday, November 27, with the subsequent statement that it "does not represent a final offer."

But Europeans should read Vice President J.D. Vance's message on Network X on Saturday: he rejected any criticism of the peace plan and sent a harsh message to European politicians that it is necessary to get rid of the illusion that if we give Ukraine "more money, weapons or sanctions, victory will be within reach. Peace will not be created by failed diplomats or politicians living in a fantasy world. It can be created by intelligent people living in the real world."

If this is how the White House sees European politicians, the chances of making any concessions are probably not great. Bloomberg even believes that "Europe is being driven into a corner."

In any case, we see another crack in transatlantic relations.

Miloš Balabán, Právo Daily