Following the US president’s announcement that he and Putin are prepared to start talks, statements from nations including France, Germany, and the UK
European nations, including as Germany, France, and Britain, have stated that they must participate in any future talks about Ukraine’s future, emphasising that only a just agreement with security guarantees could guarantee enduring peace.
“Putting Ukraine in a strong position should be one of our common goals. Following a meeting of foreign ministers in Paris, the European Commission and seven other European nations issued a joint statement declaring that Ukraine and Europe must be included in any negotiations.
“Strong security guarantees should be given to Ukraine.” Strong transatlantic security requires a fair and sustainable peace in Ukraine, the statement said, adding that the European powers were eager to talk with their American allies about the future.
The meeting followed US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that the two were prepared to start discussing an end to the conflict in Ukraine right away.
With Putin and Trump seemingly discussing the continent’s security over the heads of European leaders, the swift developments have alarmed Europe. After meeting with a Ukraine contact group of defence ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, US defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with dozens of NATO ministers on Thursday.
At the meeting of ministers from France, Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, and the European Commission on Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated that “without the participation of Europeans, there will be no just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
Jose Manuel Albares Bueno of Spain and Annalena Baerbock of Germany both urged EU nations to demonstrate solidarity on the issue of Ukraine, telling the audience that no decision could be taken “without Ukraine.”
“We want peace for Ukraine, but we also want an unjust war to end with a just peace,” Albares Bueno continued.
Meanwhile, Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister, stated that the meeting’s agenda included “continued cooperation with the US.” “Close transatlantic cooperation is the best assurance for our continent’s security,” Sikorski stated.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded, “I don’t have any European nations who are involved currently to read out for you,” when asked if any European governments will participate in peace negotiations.
The purpose of the Paris summit, which was planned weeks ago, was to lay out the bloc’s defence policy, speak about ways to fortify Ukraine, organise future peace negotiations, and decide how to approach talks with the US administration this weekend when they gather in Munich for a security conference.
However, it was derailed after Hegseth met with Ukraine’s international backers in Brussels on Wednesday and made the most direct public remarks from the Trump administration regarding its strategy for dealing with the nearly three-year conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
He claimed that the US did not view Kyiv joining NATO as a means of ending the conflict and that a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders was impractical. He claimed that pursuing this false objective will merely lengthen the conflict and increase suffering.
Following Hegseth’s remarks, Trump and Putin spoke over the phone, and Trump said that their teams had decided to begin talks right away. According to officials, European powers were taken aback by Hegseth’s direct stance and were unaware of the call beforehand.
Hegseth stated that peace would need to be maintained by “capable European and non-European troops,” who he emphasised would not be from the US, after ruling out Ukraine joining NATO.
Hegseth went on to say that any European or British forces stationed in Ukraine would not be protected by the alliance’s article 5 guarantee or by a portion of a NATO mission, so they would essentially need assistance from member nations.
Hegseth’s “call for European nations to step up” was heard in London, according to UK Defence Secretary John Healey. We will and we are. Hegseth said the UK will spend £4.5 billion on military assistance for Ukraine this year following a bilateral discussion with him earlier in the day, according to the Times.
Zelenskyy told the Guardian earlier this week that without US assistance, Europe could not provide Kyiv with strong security guarantees. He asserted that “security guarantees without America are not real.”
Zelenskyy stated that a ceasefire would require a multinational deterrence force based in Ukraine to be between 100,000 and 150,000 strong, which would be far less than the more than 600,000 Russian forces in occupied Ukraine.
According to a senior European official who spoke to the Guardian, “Europe cannot field a force like this right now.” However, we are unable to compel the United States to deploy soldiers. We must therefore come to terms with this and determine our options.
Enquiring as to what would remain up for negotiation, a senior European official referred to the US stance presented by Hegseth as an early capitulation. Additionally, the source claimed that Ukraine’s willingness to make concessions will push Russia to make greater demands in the next round of talks.
