Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is set to join other European leaders in an informal emergency summit about the Ukraine war on Monday.
The gathering in Paris was called after the United States announced over the weekend that the continent would be cut off from peace talks about Russia’s war on Ukraine.
France said that its President, Emmanuel Macron, will be hosting heads of government from Poland, Germany, the U.K., Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark.
Ursula von der Leyen, chief of the European Commission, and NATO’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, will also take part.
On Saturday, the American envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said that European leaders will most likely be consulted but ultimately excluded from talks around stopping the fighting in Ukraine – a move that has sent shockwaves across the continent.
Tusk, who – like other leaders – has been attending the Munich Security Conference over the last few days, commented that the continent had to make its own plan for the future, suggesting that the interests of countries such as the U.S. may not be the same.
“Europe urgently needs its own plan of action concerning Ukraine and our security, or else other global players will decide about our future. Not necessarily in line with our own interest. This plan must be prepared now. There’s no time to lose,” he wrote on X.
Peace talks are expected to begin in the coming days in Saudi Arabia, with U.S. officials and a Russian delegation set to meet initially. Ukraine, however, is allegedly not involved.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country was not invited, despite having met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday. He added that Kyiv would not engage with Russia before consulting with strategic partners.
France’s Macron, meanwhile, said he spoke to Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call on Sunday.
The Reuters press agency reported that Macron and bin Salman discussed the Middle Eastern kingdom’s role in any peace deal and how Europe should play a key part in these efforts.
It emerged over the weekend that the U.S. had sent European governments a questionnaire last week, asking how they might contribute to keeping the peace in Ukraine after a peace deal.
Having seen the document, Reuters said that the diplomatic correspondence consisted of six points and questions, which enquire which countries would be willing to deploy troops to keep the peace, for how long, and what size an peacekeeping forces should be, among other things.
It was revealed on Sunday that the questionnaire also asks what support the countries would need from Washington to be able to contribute.
“What, if any, U.S. support requirements would your government consider necessary for its participation in these security arrangements? Specifically, which short-term and long-term resources do you think will be required from the U.S.?," one of the questions asked, Reuters reported.
While the tumultuous security conference in Germany over the weekend has shaken long-standing alliances between European states and the U.S., the British prime minister suggested he would try to bridge differences.
Keir Starmer said his country would work to ensure the U.S. and Europe remained together and that they should not allow divisions to distract them from “external enemies”, the BBC reported on Saturday.
According to the BBC, Starmer, who wants Kyiv at the heart of any ceasefire talks, will discuss the views of European leaders when he visits Trump in Washington at the end of this month.
France said that its President, Emmanuel Macron, will be hosting heads of government from Poland, Germany, the U.K., Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark.
Ursula von der Leyen, chief of the European Commission, and NATO’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, will also take part.
On Saturday, the American envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said that European leaders will most likely be consulted but ultimately excluded from talks around stopping the fighting in Ukraine – a move that has sent shockwaves across the continent.
Tusk, who – like other leaders – has been attending the Munich Security Conference over the last few days, commented that the continent had to make its own plan for the future, suggesting that the interests of countries such as the U.S. may not be the same.
“Europe urgently needs its own plan of action concerning Ukraine and our security, or else other global players will decide about our future. Not necessarily in line with our own interest. This plan must be prepared now. There’s no time to lose,” he wrote on X.
Talks set for Saudi
Peace talks are expected to begin in the coming days in Saudi Arabia, with U.S. officials and a Russian delegation set to meet initially. Ukraine, however, is allegedly not involved.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country was not invited, despite having met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday. He added that Kyiv would not engage with Russia before consulting with strategic partners.
France’s Macron, meanwhile, said he spoke to Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call on Sunday.
The Reuters press agency reported that Macron and bin Salman discussed the Middle Eastern kingdom’s role in any peace deal and how Europe should play a key part in these efforts.
Questionnaire asks about U.S. support
It emerged over the weekend that the U.S. had sent European governments a questionnaire last week, asking how they might contribute to keeping the peace in Ukraine after a peace deal.
Having seen the document, Reuters said that the diplomatic correspondence consisted of six points and questions, which enquire which countries would be willing to deploy troops to keep the peace, for how long, and what size an peacekeeping forces should be, among other things.
It was revealed on Sunday that the questionnaire also asks what support the countries would need from Washington to be able to contribute.
“What, if any, U.S. support requirements would your government consider necessary for its participation in these security arrangements? Specifically, which short-term and long-term resources do you think will be required from the U.S.?," one of the questions asked, Reuters reported.
While the tumultuous security conference in Germany over the weekend has shaken long-standing alliances between European states and the U.S., the British prime minister suggested he would try to bridge differences.
Keir Starmer said his country would work to ensure the U.S. and Europe remained together and that they should not allow divisions to distract them from “external enemies”, the BBC reported on Saturday.
According to the BBC, Starmer, who wants Kyiv at the heart of any ceasefire talks, will discuss the views of European leaders when he visits Trump in Washington at the end of this month.
Source: Reuters, BBC
More In Politics MORE...
