French President Emmanuel Macron walks with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as she leaves the Elysee Palace, after an informal meeting of leaders from key European Union nations and the United Kingdom, in Paris on February 17, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

European leaders failed to reach a joint position on whether they would send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, after they discussed the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine and negotiations for an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict at an emergency summit in Paris on Monday (February 17, 2025). The meeting, convened by French President Emmanuel Macron, was in response to U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh which left Ukraine and the rest of Europe out of the negotiating room.

“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” said Mr. Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump following the European meeting.

 Mr. Macron said Ukrainians, Europeans and Americans would need to work on the issue together.

He also called on Europeans to invest in their security and defence. The U.K, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the European Union were represented at Monday’s meeting.

After the meeting in Paris, German Chancelor Olaf Scholz said it was the wrong time to discuss security guarantees and that it was “highly inappropriate” to discuss peacekeeping troop deployments for Ukraine which was in the midst of a war. He said he had been “a little irritated” by the debate.

Mr. Scholz , who faces an election on February 23, said on social media site X that acting together and sharing risks underpinned NATO.

“There must be no division of security and responsibility between Europe and the USA.” he said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his country would not send troops to Ukraine.

Mr. Tusk also said that the transatlantic relationship (i.e., ties between the U.S. and Europe) had entered a new stage.

The current American position under Mr. Trump – that Europe spend more on its defence – was justified, Mr. Tusk said, emphasizing that Poland was leading in this regard. Poland spent more than 4% of its GDP on defence last year, with a planned figure of 4.7% this year, far higher than the 2% NATO guideline and higher than the U.S.

‘There must be a U.S. backstop’: Starmer

Prior to the Paris meeting, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had said the U.K. would be willing to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. Following the meeting, he emphasized that the U.K. would consider sending British troops to Ukraine, alongside others, if there was a lasting peace agreement.

  “But there must be a U.S. backstop,” Mr. Starmer said, adding that a U.S. security guarantee was the only way to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.

He also called on Europeans to do more in terms of burden-sharing (in defence) with the United States.

On Monday, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said once the Russia-Ukraine was over, sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine was “absolutely a possibility”.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said Europeans need to decide on what they can contribute (to bringing peace in Ukraine) and they would eventually get a seat at the table. Mr Schoof said that “just sitting at the table without contributing is pointless” , according to the Associated Press.

The head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev speaks to media ahead of his meeting with U.S. delegation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 18, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Europe will invest more in security and lead on providing guarantees to Kyiv, but cooperation with Washington to secure peace remains crucial, European leaders said after an emergency meeting held ahead of U.S.-Russia talks on Ukraine on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.

French President Emmanuel Macron pulled together an urgent meeting after U.S. President Donald Trump arranged bilateral talks between envoys from Washington and Moscow in Saudi Arabia and excluded European allies and Ukraine from them.

“Europe is ready and willing to step up,” NATO boss Mark Rutte said on X after the meeting. “To lead in providing security guarantees for Ukraine. Ready and willing to invest a lot more in our security.”

“Working together with Washington on safeguarding any agreement to end the war in Ukraine remains key,” officials said.

“Everyone feels the great sense of urgency,” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X. “At this crucial time for the security of Europe we must continue to stand behind Ukraine.”

“Europe will have to make a contribution towards safeguarding any agreement, and cooperation with the Americans is essential,” he said.

It remains unclear, however, how Europe will engage Washington after Mr. Trump stunned Ukraine and European allies calling last week Russian President Vladimir Putin, long ostracised by the West, without consulting them.

“We agree with President Trump on a “peace through strength” approach,” a European official said after the Paris meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. decision has sparked a realisation among European nations that they will have to do more to ensure Ukraine’s security.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who before the meeting said he was willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, said on Monday (February 17, 2025) there must be a U.S. security commitment for European countries to put boots on the ground.

Keith Kellogg, Mr. Trump’s Ukraine envoy, said he would visit Ukraine from Wednesday (February 19, 2025) and was asked if the U.S. would provide a security guarantee for any European peacekeepers.

“I’ve been with President Trump, and the policy has always been: You take no options off the table,” he said.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country would never accept any peace deals reached behind its back or without Kyiv’s involvement.

U.S. AND RUSSIA TO MEET IN SAUDI ARABIA

Tuesday (February 18, 2025)‘s scheduled talks between senior U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, the highest-level in-person discussions between the two nations in years, are meant to precede a meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met on Monday (February 17, 2025) with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh as well as U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, also part of the U.S. negotiating team.

On the Russian side, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov were due to take part, the Kremlin said.

But there were signs of differences of approach.

Mr. Rubio’s spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the conversation would determine if the Russians were serious about peace talks, “about perhaps if that first step is even possible”.

The Kremlin said the talks would focus on “restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations” and Russia has ruled out conceding territory.

On arrival in Riyadh, Mr. Ushakov said talks on Ukraine will be strictly bilateral, Russia’s RIA state news agency reported.

“We came to negotiate with American colleagues,” RIA cited Mr. Ushakov as saying. “There can be no trilateral talks in Riyadh.”

Russia’s sovereign wealth fund chief Kirill Dmitriev will meet a U.S. delegation in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday (February 18, 2025) to focus on strengthening ties and increased economic cooperation, a source in Riyadh said.

CNN quoted Mr. Dmitriev denying that Russia primarily sought to alleviate sanctions and said the U.S. and Russian economies could both benefit from working together.

“I think it’s very important to build bridges. I think U.S.-Russia relations are very important for the world,” he said.

“I think the promise is: let’s have dialogue, let’s figure out the best solution for our countries, for other countries, for the global community.”