- European leaders are meeting in Paris to discuss the Ukraine crisis, spurred by US President Donald Trump’s push for accelerated peace talks.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insists on Ukraine’s involvement in any deal, while European nations express unease at their exclusion from negotiations.
- The meeting, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, includes leaders from Germany, Britain, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, the European Commission, the European Council, and NATO.
- The outcome of these discussions is uncertain, but they mark a significant shift in diplomatic strategies and could have major implications for the future of Ukraine and Europe.
In a significant development, European leaders are convening in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. This meeting has been spurred by the accelerated peace process being pushed by US President Donald Trump. This comes after Trump’s unexpected call to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to immediately start negotiations. This sudden shift in diplomatic strategy has raised eyebrows, as it breaks a three-year-long effort to diplomatically isolate the Kremlin.
The fear is that Ukraine may be pressured into accepting a deal that is not in its best interest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded by stating that his country would never accept deals made behind our backs and without our involvement. The US has made it clear that while European nations will not have a seat at the negotiation table, they will be consulted throughout the process. This exclusion has caused unease among European nations, triggering a last-minute push to present a unified front.
European Unity and the Paris Summit
French President Emmanuel Macron has taken the lead by inviting a select group of leaders to Paris. The meeting is scheduled to start at 16.00 CET. The attendees include Germany’s Olaf Scholz, Britain’s Keir Starmer, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Poland’s Donald Tusk, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, the Netherlands’ Dick Schoof, and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission; António Costa, the president of the European Council; and Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, will also participate in the informal summit.
The outcome of the discussions remains uncertain. However, Europe is under intense pressure to increase defense spending and provide more assistance to Kyiv, a move that the Trump administration is keen to reduce. The White House has distributed a questionnaire to European capitals, inquiring about their willingness to provide security guarantees to Ukraine and participate in a peacekeeping mission.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed readiness to deploy British troops to Ukraine to ensure a potential peace deal is respected. However, the US has warned that any mission of this kind would not be covered by NATO’s Article 5 of collective assistance, potentially leaving soldiers vulnerable to Russian attacks.
Historical Echoes and Future Implications
The gathering in Paris is seen as the start of a series of talks among European leaders. The aim is to bring together all partners interested in peace and security in Europe. However, the prospect of being sidelined from the peace talks has angered Europeans, who see their long-term security as intrinsically tied to Ukraine’s future.
In the past three years, Brussels has worked with Washington to ensure a consistent policy to cripple Russia’s war machine and sustain Kyiv’s battered economy. However, Trump’s 90-minute phone call with Putin has disrupted this unity, positioning him as the sole interlocutor between the aggressor and the aggressed.
According to Keith Kellogg, the US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, the White House is operating on Trump time and expects a deal to be ready in the foreseeable future. He explained that the peace process would follow a dual-track approach: the US will speak with Russia and, separately, with Ukraine and democratic allies that back the war-torn nation.