Leaders from key European countries will gather Monday to discuss the continent’s security in a rushed meeting as U.S. efforts to end the Ukraine war pick up speed. France’s President Emmanuel Macron will lead the hastily convened meeting in Paris.
U.S. President Donald Trump blindsided Ukraine and its European backers this week by initiating direct discussions on Russia’s invasion in a call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, as Breitbart News reported.
The E.U. is now rushing to keep up with Trump’s direct intervention and search for an end to fighting alongside a lasting peace.
The new U.S. administration also warned its NATO allies Europe will no longer be its top security priority and it may shift forces to as it switches focus to China.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Calls for End of Ukraine War, Defines Outer Limits of U.S. Military Rolehttps://t.co/zP9DFw5xqO
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 12, 2025
“The president will bring together the main European countries tomorrow for discussions on European security,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the France Inter radio broadcaster on Sunday, without saying which nations would participate.
The meeting in Paris on Monday afternoon is to include Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark and NATO chief Marc Rutte and E.U. chief Ursula von der Leyen, a European diplomatic source told AFP.
British media have said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to attend.
The Kremlin has pushed for negotiations — set to kick off in Saudi Arabia in coming days — to discuss not just the Ukraine war as it nears a third anniversary but also broader European security, the AFP report notes.
