**European Allies Optimistic About Trump’s Support for Ukraine**
Ukraine’s friends in Europe are feeling more hopeful about the country’s future. This is because U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may not force them to make a difficult peace deal, according to Bloomberg.
Some European officials who met with Trump’s team secretly are starting to think that the new American leaders will try to help Ukraine negotiate from a strong position. This change of heart was sparked by Trump’s more flexible attitude towards Ukraine than expected.
Trump has said he wants to end the war in Ukraine quickly. However, he hasn’t explained how this will happen. One idea put forward by his team – freezing the front lines and delaying Ukraine’s entry into NATO for 20 years – has already been rejected by Russia.
**No Plans to Abandon Ukraine**
There are other signs that Trump does not intend to completely cut support for Ukraine as part of his plan to end the war. In an interview with Time magazine, Trump said he would not “abandon” the country under attack.
According to another report from the Financial Times, Trump told European allies that he plans to continue supporting Ukraine. However, he also asked them to increase their defense spending levels to 5% of GDP. This is similar to his previous requests for Europe to take on more responsibility for both Ukraine’s defense and their own security.