How the United States chooses to shift the burdens of the war onto Europe will shape what the Europeans can accomplish. Much depends on whether the United States wants Ukraine to be able to continue to defend itself as it negotiates or whether Washington is prepared to force Kyiv to settle on any terms.

Several weeks have now passed since the infamously heated argument between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump on February 28 in the Oval Office. Zelensky has now accepted the partial ceasefire demanded by the US, paving the way for negotiations to reach a peace agreement with Russia.

Ukraine has used long-range combat drones to pound Russian oil infrastructure such as refineries in an effort to hurt its much larger foe. Moscow has rained down missiles and dron