On 17 February, EU leaders will convene an emergency summit in Paris to address the Trump administration’s push to negotiate with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine – potentially sidelining Europe. According to Sky News, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will join the meeting.
According to CNN, Starmer emphasized in a statement released by Downing Street on 15 February that “the UK will work to ensure we keep the US and Europe together.” He warned that “we cannot allow any divisions in the alliance to distract from the external enemies we face.”
On 15 February, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced at the Munich Security Conference that French President Emmanuel Macron had called for the summit, though France has not yet confirmed the event, CNN says.
The emergency gathering follows recent developments that have upended the previously united Western approach. Sky News reports that Starmer will take messages from the Paris meeting to Washington when he meets US President Donald Trump the following week, according to Downing Street sources.
Trump’s peace efforts
Last week, Trump spoke with both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Multiple sources told CNN that top US administration figures – including National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff – are expected to meet with senior Russian officials in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.
New US Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth stated in Brussels that it was unrealistic for Kyiv to join NATO or return to its pre-2014 borders. Though Hegseth later modified his position, saying “everything is on the table,” CNN says. US Vice President JD Vance warned that the US could employ economic and military “tools of leverage” if Moscow doesn’t negotiate in good faith.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy stated that “Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement, and the same rule should apply to all of Europe.”
In an interview with CNN, Zelenskyy acknowledged he was “not happy” that Trump’s first call was with Putin, warning it would be “more dangerous” if Trump meets Putin in person before him.
According to CNN, Trump’s Russia-Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg said in Munich that while Ukraine would participate in peace negotiations, other European governments would not be participants, though their positions would be considered.
Sky News says Zelenskyy called for the creation of an “armed forces of Europe,” stating his army was “not enough.” He emphasized that “the old days are over when America supported Europe just because it always had.”
Related:
- Ukraine begins cooperation with Trump’s team on peace efforts, Zelenskyy says
- Zelenskyy: We must build Armed Forces of Europe for future to depend only on Europeans
- “Remember Minsk-2.” Europe should stay out of Ukraine peace talks, Kellogg says
- Polish FM: Macron convenes European leaders to discuss Trump’s actions
- No Munich in Munich: Zelenskyy cozies up with republicans
- Ukraine still on “irreversible path” to NATO despite Trump’s stance, UK’s Starmer tells Zelenskyy
- Europe should triple aid for Ukraine to replace US weapons, defense expert warns
- US might deploy troops to Ukraine without Moscow-Kyiv peace deal, Vance says