All Roads lead to Rome … and to Washington.

The funeral ceremony for late Pope Francis is over. It was a rendez-vous of celebs, a seen and to-bee-seen place, with importance for the seating order. Who ever was seated, holds power in the World. The front row reserved for the most powerful … and most catholic.

And all the leaders tried their chance to get a meeting with Donald Trump. Successful were Trump’s current “discussion partners”, President Macron and PM Starmer, and as Trump’s will was sweetened at the funeral, also Selensky had a one-to-one quick meeting in St. Peter’s Basilica.

All those leaders, who are in a kind of conflict with Donald Trump, tried to get him outside of the Oval Office, tried to influence him, to get some positive attitude or statement. Reading the mainstream press, it seems they succeeded: Trump published a statement on Truth Social threatening (again) President Putin and Russia … Trump urging Putin to close a Peace Deal as demanded by Trump.

What is the importance of this Peace Deal, and for whom?

In first instance, it is the Ukrainian and Russian people, their soldiers, who would mostly benefit from a fast ceasefire and peace, senseless killing and destruction will be stopped. The Ukrainian population and already some local politicians are, indeed, contemplating to give up and sign Trump’s Peace.

But the others don’t.

Europe, the EU, Starmer and Macron do not want to accept Trump’s Peace. For simple reasons: Europe has built its arguments for policies, financing and spending around the Russian threat. A Peace would destroy these arguments. The UK’s current leadership wants the UK to return to Europe, wants to cancel BREXIT, and the Russian threat and Ukraine’s defense are, as well, very welcome arguments. Increased spending on military budgets by arguing about the Russian threat are facilitated with breaking sacro-sanct principles, such as constitutional debt ceilings and the EU’s prohibition of common debts.

Putin is good for many things in old, poor, suffering Europe, with its economic and social problems, fighting mass immigration and rethinking wealth distribution. Putin became the solution for climate politics – which are off the table, or sidelined while fighting Putin.

And finally, the US Midterms 2026: every anti-Trump actor is speculating on that the Democrats, in the 2026 Midterms will take back at least the House so that Trump will be put under home-made institutional pressure. Every political actor, in the US and in Europe, is working towards this goal. And the most important goal is to destroy Trump’s popularity.

Therefore, it is absolutely a no-go that Trump’s Peace is successful. Trump decided to retreat from Ukraine, decided to stop a lost war, decided to allow Russia some advantages and offered a framework for a Peace Agreement which Russia might accept. The Ukrainian proxy war, Biden’s war, is extremely unpopular in the US and Europe and a quick end to it will boost Trump’s popularity enormously and for years.

The European leaders are afraid of it and therefore, it is understandable why they work against it.

And V Selensky: Peace is a threat for his political and physical survival. Of course, he wants to prolong the status quo and hopes for a better outcome. If there is Peace, his political opponents will be allowed back and take the power – Selensky made quiet some enemies during his years of leadership.

So all of them came to Rome, to meet Trump and to hammer on him. Now, Trump is safely back in Washington and from now on, all roads lead to Washington.