European governments fear being forced into ‘menage a trois’ with Putin and Trump

Leaders worried the former president could force Ukraine to cede land to Russia in exchange for a ceasefire if he wins the election

European governments are drawing up plans in case they are forced into a “menage a trois” with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Revelations about Trump’s alleged close-knit relationship with the Russian president have sparked new fears for the continent over intelligence sharing and Ukraine’s future.
A new book by Bob Woodward, the reporter who broke the story of the Watergate Scandal said Trump and Putin had spoken at least seven times since the American left office in 2021.
Woodward also claimed that the former president had secretly sent Covid-19 tests, which were in limited supply, to Russia for Putin’s personal use in 2020.
“It’s very uncomfortable thinking the West will be in a menage a trois with Putin should Trump become president,” a European diplomatic source said.
“Popcorn sales will be going through the roof in Moscow and Beijing if he returns.
“All they have to do is sit by idly and watch the West tear itself apart in internal divisions.”
Plans for “Trump 2.0” remain vague but focus on potential ways to support Ukraine if the American withdraws backing for the West’s war-torn ally.
One question facing European leaders is whether they would be able to “backfill” the weapons provided to Kyiv by Washington if Trump decides to stop supplies, The Telegraph understands.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he could end the war in Ukraine by brokering a deal between Kyiv and Moscow.
He has also said Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he had won the 2020 presidential election.
This has sparked fears amongst European governments that he could force Ukraine to cede land to Russia in exchange for a ceasefire.
There are also concerns that Western intelligence could slip into the Kremlin’s hands via Trump, who Leon Panetta, a former head of the CIA, recently warned had become a “source” for Putin.
Plans for a Trump presidency are, however, more advanced than before his first election victory in 2016, when Hillary Clinton was a safe bet to enter the White House.
At the time, Trump was considered a complete outsider with little chance of winning.
The European Union has published a report, by Mario Draghi, the former Italian prime minister, who warned that the bloc can no longer rely on the US for its security.
It came as Nato allies warned that Russia was arming at an alarming rate and said Europe had as little as three years to prepare for an invasion.
Fears over Europe’s security have been further exacerbated after Trump issued threats to let Russia attack European Nato allies not hitting spending targets.
The Trump campaign and the Kremlin have denied the former president and Putin maintained regular communications in recent years.
But the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, did insist the claims about Covid tests were true, saying the shipment was made at the beginning of the pandemic when “these were rare items”.