‘An existential question for Europe’: E.U. leaders hold emergency summit in Paris ahead of U.S.-Russia talks
French President Emmanual Macron convened an emergency summit of European leaders in Paris on Monday to discuss concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for an agreement with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
Participants included German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
No decisions were announced following the summit, and the leaders did not issue a joint statement.
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Donald Tusk stated that no binding decisions were made at the meeting. He said that all participants shared “similar views” on key issues, though he did not specify which issues he referred to.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed that “at stake is not just the future of Ukraine, it is an existential question for Europe as a whole.” He added: “Only a lasting peace in Ukraine that safeguards its sovereignty will deter Putin from further aggression.”
Starmer also reiterated his willingness to consider the possibility of deploying British troops to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement. “In this moment, we have to recognise the new era that we are in, not cling hopelessly to the comforts of the past. It’s time for us to take responsibility for our security, for our continent,” he said.
At the same time, the prime minister said, a “U.S. backstop” is “the only way” to prevent ensure against future Russian attacks.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated after the summit that when it comes achieving peace in Ukraine, there should be “no division of security and responsibility between Europe and the United States,’ according to Deutsche Welle. He called discussions about sending peacekeepers to Ukraine “highly inappropriate” and “completely premature,” given that Russia is still waging war and nobody knows what a potential peace deal would look like.