The ornate chandeliers of the Elysee Palace glittered, reflecting off the polished shoes of assembled European leaders. Outside, Paris hummed with its usual Monday rhythm, oblivious to the high-stakes drama unfolding within. Inside, however, the air crackled with tension. Three hours of emergency talks had yielded nothing but a fractured tableau of disagreement. The question of peacekeeping troops, ignited by a recent American diplomatic flurry, hung heavy in the air, dividing the once-unified transatlantic alliance.
A world away, in the hushed corridors of NATO headquarters, a seasoned official leaned back in his chair, a weary sigh escaping his lips. He’d agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, the weight of his words demanding secrecy. “This whole Ukraine-Russia war,” he began, his voice low and gravelly, “it’s just a rekindling of unfinished business from the Soviet era. NATO was built to counter the Soviet Union. Why should we be the ones cleaning up the mess left behind by its collapse?”
He paused, a flicker of cynicism in his eyes. “And Trump’s meddling? A drop in the ocean. It won’t solve anything. Follow the money. All the big energy deals, they’re settled in US dollars. This conflict in Eastern Europe…it’s a charade, a carefully orchestrated farce by Russia and the US. They’re playing a game, and Ukraine is the pawn.”
The official’s gaze drifted to a map of Europe, his finger tracing the lines of borders. “Europe? They’re putting on a show. Their pronouncements about responding in kind to the US? A smokescreen. They’re just buying time, hoping the storm blows over. They know they’re caught between a rock and a hard place.”
He chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. “Mark my words. Eventually, Russia and Ukraine will broker some kind of peace. It’ll be a face-saving exercise for the US, a way for them to emerge looking like the peacemakers, all while burying the inconvenient truth under mountains of corpses and rubble.”
His thoughts drifted back to the Elysee Palace. “These emergency talks? A sham. A photo op. VIPs from every nation gathering, posing for pictures, wandering around Paris. The real beneficiaries? The hotels, the restaurants. They’ll be the ones raking in the profits. The war? That’s just business as usual.” He shook his head. “Just another act in a very long, very profitable play.”
All names of people and organizations appearing in this story are pseudonyms.
European leaders want a say in talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The US is brushing them off
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