“A starting point”: this is how the meeting on Ukraine convened by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris today (starting at 4 p.m.) is described – as if to dampen expectations. The leaders of the “major” European countries have been invited to this “informal” summit: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and Spain, together with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. This seems to suggest that Europe is exploring a “Third Way” solution between the ongoing war and the so-called “peace” that might be imposed by a Putin-Trump deal. The old continent’s security is at stake.
A meeting with several unknowns. “This meeting is an important starting point for talks on the situation in Ukraine and to discuss security issues in Europe,” said a spokesman for the EU Commission.
Moreover, peace must be achieved somewhere and somehow, and the restricted Putin-Trump dialogue lacks credibility in European eyes.
The widely held view in Brussels is that Putin, the aggressor with death and destruction on his conscience, is utterly untrustworthy. Trump, for his part, has repeatedly shown that he is too conciliatory towards Moscow and antagonistic towards the EU. An EU that has been the main supporter of Ukraine’s war against Putin and the main provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid to a country that has been battered by the Russian army.
Macron’s caution and Starmer’s interventionism. After convening the Paris summit, Macron gathered his advisors to draw up some proposals of a diplomatic nature – with a view to establishing a “just and lasting peace” – as well as military proposals, without ruling anything out.
He was backed by the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who told the Daily Telegraph yesterday: “I am ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees for Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground if necessary.” This position raised eyebrows among the leaders gathered in the French capital today.
Embarrassment in Brussels. The fact remains that only the major countries, or those that Macron considers to be such, will be attending the Paris meeting. As a result, a spokesman for von der Leyen said at today’s briefing: “With regard to the participation of other member states” at the summit in France, “it is difficult for us to have a position on this.” The meeting was organised on the initiative of President Emmanuel Macron. The intention is certainly not to exclude others as far as we are concerned.”
The spokesperson’s statement stated, among other things, that there had been no direct contact between von der Leyen and Trump so far:
“I have no new information to share with you on contacts following President Trump’s re-election,” journalists were told at the press briefing in Brussels. Moreover, it seems that the meeting between the European Commission president and the US presidential envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, scheduled for Monday, has been rescheduled for Tuesday precisely because of von der Leyen’s departure for Paris. Tomorrow, Tuesday, Kellogg will meet the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa.
Tusk: increase defence spending. Before leaving for Paris, European leaders expressed differing views. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there were no plans to send his country’s troops to Ukraine, while insisting that EU countries should increase their defence spending. “Poland’s 4.7% of GDP spent on armaments and defence is well above the NATO target”, he said. “It is the exception, not the rule, and this must change.” According to Tusk, Europe “must increase its own defence spending.” Finally, Tusk, who holds the rotating presidency of the EU, reiterated that Poland would continue to send military and financial aid to Ukraine.
Moscow is not credible. Other leaders called for European unity and for the EU’s voice to be heard in the peace talks. Germany’s Olaf Scholz called on Europe to continue to stand united in support of Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia. Among the countries not invited to Paris, several raised their voices. The Swedish government, for example, said it was “not ruling out” the deployment of peacekeeping forces on Ukrainian territory, echoing Britain’s stance. However, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard remarked: “We must first negotiate a just and lasting peace that respects international law. When this peace is established, it must be maintained, and therefore our government is not ruling anything out.” However, no good signals are coming from Russia, whose foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, a “hawk” in the Putin administration, reiterated today that “there is no place for the Europeans” in the peace talks because “they want to prolong the war.” This was said by the man who ignited the war….
