France’s President Emmanuel Macron (C) walks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) after a gathering on the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Dec. 7, 2024.
Julien De Rosa | Afp | Getty Photos
Europe is vying for a say in fast-advancing Russia-Ukraine peace talks after the U.S. over the weekend exacerbated fears that Brussels can be absent from the best stage negotiations.
European leaders are gathered in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit, rapidly assembled by French President Emmanuel Macron after hopes of Europe’s involvement turned bitter on the Munich Safety Convention.
Washington and Moscow are set to kick-start discussions to result in an finish to the close to three-year Russia-Ukraine struggle this week in Saudi Arabia, when U.S. President Donald Trump’s high diplomat Marco Rubio sits down Tuesday with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Monday that he’ll journey to Riyadh on Wednesday, based on Reuters, whereas noting that Ukraine wouldn’t be collaborating in preliminary talks between the U.S. and Russia. He added {that a} additional direct assembly with Trump was more likely to observe.
“Ukraine won’t participate. Ukraine didn’t know something about it,” he instructed reporters throughout a video briefing from the United Arab Emirates, the place he was on a state go to. “Ukraine regards any negotiations on Ukraine with out Ukraine as ones that don’t have any outcome.”
It comes after Trump mentioned Sunday that Zelenskyy can be concerned in peace talks with Russia, dispelling conflicting remarks over current days from U.S. officers.
The EU and the U.Ok., nonetheless, are unlikely to have a physical seat on the negotiating desk — both initially or as talks advance, U.S. Particular Presidential Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg mentioned Saturday.
“What we do not wish to do is get into a big group dialogue,” he instructed a fringe occasion in Munich, noting that allied pursuits would as an alternative be “taken under consideration.”
Russia’s Lavrov, in the meantime, weighed in on the confusion Monday, saying, “I do not know what European nations are presupposed to do at talks on Ukraine.”
The U.S. has as an alternative requested European allies to finish a questionnaire outlining what number of troops and capabilities they might deploy in Ukraine as safety ensures, according to Reuters. Different questions embody what safety ensures Europe would view as a “ample deterrent to Russia whereas additionally making certain this battle ends with an everlasting peace settlement.”
The European Union’s overseas coverage chief Kaja Kallas mentioned Saturday {that a} lasting peace settlement would not be possible with out Europe’s involvement.
“For something to work it has to have Ukrainians and Europeans as part of it, as a result of Ukrainians and Europeans are those who must additionally implement the deal right here in Europe, so with out us any deal would not simply work,” she instructed CNBC’s Silvia Amaro on the sidelines of the MSC.
European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen, in the meantime, warned Friday that failure to safe a “simply and lasting peace” for Ukraine wouldn’t solely “weaken Europe however it will additionally weaken the US.”
Monday’s summit in Paris contains representatives from seven European nations, together with Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk. U.Ok. Prime Minister Keir Starmer can be in attendance, with the British chief saying he hoped to behave as a conduit between Brussels and Washington when he’s set to fulfill Trump subsequent week.
Writing on Sunday within the Telegraph, Starmer mentioned if obligatory, he was ready to place British “boots on the ground” in Ukraine to safeguard European safety and persuade Trump of Europe’s position in guaranteeing peace for Kyiv.
“U.S. wishes for peace align precisely with what we wish,” Starmer mentioned Monday in Paris, based on Reuters, including that the continent wanted to step up its protection spending — a longtime gripe of President Trump.
NATO Secretary Basic Mark Rutte on Saturday confirmed that the army alliance would look to increase defense spending targets when members meet for a summit in June. Whereas he did not present a particular determine, he later told Politico’s Paul McLeary that the determine could possibly be “significantly greater than 3%.”
