EU leaders to intervene in Trump-Putin peace talks but struggle with troops dilemma

European leaders convened in Paris with President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron for an emergency meeting, but they failed to agree on any details of Ukraine peace other than principles.

The heads of the governments of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Great Britain, Denmark, Poland, and the Netherlands, joined by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa gathered in the Elysées Palace after the US President Donald Trump called his Russian homolog Vladimir Putin and the US Special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg cut off on Europe’s role in the peace negotiations.

In their terse statement after the meeting, the leaders reassured they are still committed to a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine and that “a ceasefire alone will not guarantee stability and security,” as the Polish Primi Minister Donald Tusk told journalists in a press conference.

“We will look for all ways to ensure that both talks and actions in the future are under the sign of full unity and solidarity of all allies, not only in Europe but also in the transatlantic dimension,” Tusk stated. He conveys the message that “without the support of the United States, it is difficult to imagine effective guaranteeing of security.” “This cooperation is actually a necessity,” he further said.

The roadmap to achieve peace and the role Europe should play along the way were confirmed to be the real sticking points. The United Kingdom is ready to talk about sending troops to Ukraine to guarantee peace and respect for its terms. This will probably be a topic in the discussion between the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Donald Trump for the meeting scheduled for the next week. “Poland does not foresee sending its troops to Ukraine,” Tusk said during the press conference.

The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez found the discussion premature with the war unfolding.
Italy’s Giorgia Meloni was urged to “explore other avenues” and get involved with Washington because “it is in the Euro-Atlantic context that common security is based.” She rather stressed the need for Europe to use the situation as an opportunity to forge a uniform policy on defense.

A common thought arose on the “unquestionable need to also use general funds, European ones, and not only national ones for defense,” Prime Minister Tusk also said during the press conference.

The European Commission fully committed to assisting Member States in this effort after von der Leyen’s announcement to use flexibility in EU debt rules to allow more fiscal space in defense spending. “It is about the possibility of using the multi-billion funds, the loans that the European Union has already ordered for other purposes, and traditional sources of financing included,” Tusk stated.

The insistent call for a commitment to send troops and more weapons to defend Ukraine and ensure a just peace by President Macron did not convince the majority of the guests.

The Head of the French State, nevertheless, is determined to consult the leaders who are seated at the table to better define a European alternative to Trump’s activism. He had already invited them to another round of exchange to be held a few days after the last discussion, on Wednesday.

The meeting was criticized by some Member States for not helping to build trust in the EU, as the Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico posted on Facebook. “This is the beginning of a process, that will continue with the involvement of all the partners committed to peace and security in Europe”, the President of the European Council Antonio Costa wrote on a post to dispel critics.