But in the United Kingdom, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged European leaders not to take Trump’s blaming of the Ukrainians for their country being invaded too literally. “Trump’s statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action,” he said.

Remarks by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are fueling concerns that the U.S. will move away from Europe and align with Moscow.

Such a solution would conjure a cruel historical irony. Putin, who watched in despair from his post as a KGB officer in Dresden as the Soviet Union dissolved, may be on the verge of creating a new East Germany in 21st century Europe with America’s help.