European leaders find no quick answer at Ukraine summit amid Trump's remarks - Politico
Kyiv • UNN
At an emergency meeting in Paris, European leaders failed to agree on a common position on sending troops to secure a possible peace deal. France supports the idea, while Poland and Germany oppose it.
An effort by European leaders, led by France, to present a united front on Ukraine "in the face of growing fear" of US President Donald Trump's intentions "failed" on Monday as they "failed to agree to send troops to secure a possible peace deal," Politico reports, UNN writes.
Details
French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting in Brussels after European leaders were shocked to learn that the United States would begin talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, but without inviting representatives from Europe or Ukraine.
"But after a 3.5-hour meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace, the leaders' reaction to the biggest shift in security calculations in decades was disappointing," the newspaper writes.
"We understand that such meetings do not end in decisions," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after the meeting.
The leaders, the newspaper writes, "did not put forward any new common ideas, argued over sending troops to Ukraine and again uttered platitudes about helping Ukraine and increasing defense spending.
"Today in Paris, we reaffirmed that Ukraine deserves peace through strength," said both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
Ukraine deserves peace through strength - von der Leyen17.02.25, 23:38 • 49911 views
The main dispute, as the newspaper points out, was "over whether troops would be sent to Ukraine if an agreement to end the war was reached."
"The United States sent a questionnaire to European NATO countries asking them to state what they are willing to offer to secure a peace agreement and what they expect from the United States. [But no consensus has been reached on this issue," the article says.
France, whose President Emmanuel Macron was the first to propose the idea, and Britain's Keir Starmer support the idea, although Starmer said that this could only happen if the United States also participated in any peacekeeping force.
He insisted on the need for "U.S. support" after peace is secured in Ukraine to "deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.
But Poland, a frontline state and close ally of Ukraine that has one of the largest armies in Europe, objected.
"We do not plan to send Polish soldiers to Ukraine," Tusk said in Warsaw before leaving for Paris.
Poland will not send troops to Ukraine - Tusk17.02.25, 14:57 • 26694 views
"Poland simply doesn't have the extra capacity to send troops to Ukraine," said a senior Polish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noting that the country has long borders with Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad and Russia-allied Belarus that need to be reinforced by Polish troops. "The French are far away, so they can send soldiers to Ukraine; we are close, so we cannot," the source said.
After the meeting, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that any debate about sending peacekeepers to Ukraine was "absolutely premature" and "extremely inappropriate" while the war is ongoing.
Scholz considers discussion of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine premature17.02.25, 16:44 • 31766 views
Mette Frederiksen from Denmark said that "many, many" things need to be clarified before troops can be sent to Ukraine.
More money
The leaders, as noted, agreed on the need to increase defense spending, which has been steadily increasing over the past decade.
Starmer acknowledged that "the Europeans will have to step up both in terms of spending and the capabilities we provide to Ukraine," while Tusk said that the US-EU defense relationship is entering a "new phase" as Europeans realize the need for more defense spending and greater autonomy.
"Europe has understood the US message that it has to do more on its own," said Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schof, adding, "It is too early to conclude concrete agreements.
Scholz reiterated his support for the EU's proposal to declare a state of emergency to significantly increase defense spending, which von der Leyen supported at the Munich Security Conference last week. Under this proposal, countries would be able to exempt defense spending from EU debt and deficit constraints.
"But despite the anxiety, bordering on panic, that prevailed at the Munich Security Summit last week after US Vice President J.D. Vance's scathing attack on European democracy, most leaders were reluctant to publicly break with the United States, which has been the backbone of the continent's security since 1945," the newspaper writes.
"There should be no division of security and responsibility between Europe and the United States," Scholz said.
Tusk added: "Someone should also say that it is in the interest of Europe and the United States to cooperate as closely as possible.