MUNICH – European leaders are set to meet in Paris on Feb 17 for urgent talks on Ukraine and the continent’s wider security, according to Poland’s foreign minister, as capitals desperately try to persuade US President Donald Trump not to rush into peace negotiations with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron summoned European leaders to the French capital for a last-minute meeting following the Munich Security Conference, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Feb 15. He urged leaders to use the opportunity to work out a unified response to Mr Trump.
Europe’s top diplomats have described the US president’s willingness to pull support for Ukraine and Europe as “existential” for the continent.
The French presidency didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, will also separately gather the bloc’s foreign ministers in Munich to take stock of the events of the last few days, her spokesman posted on social media, adding that “we are in a decisive moment for Ukraine’s and Europe’s future.”
Ms Kallas met earlier with Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
When asked if Europe should be at the negotiating table with the US, Russia and Ukraine, Ms Kellogg said earlier on Feb 15 that “in the school of realism, I think that’s not going to happen.” He added that he wants to get a clear sense of Europe’s position so that it’s well-stated in negotiations. “That may grate a little bit, but I’m telling you something that’s really quite honest,” he said.
Senior officials from the US and Russia are meeting next week in Saudi Arabia to pave the way for a potential leaders’ summit as soon at the end of the month to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported earlier. Most Europeans have so far not been informed and while officials from Ukraine are expected, they also don’t appear to be fully in the loop on the preparations. BLOOMBERG
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Publish date : 2025-02-15 17:37:00
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