French President Emmanuel Macron (c) announced that after a meeting at President Elisey Palace in Paris on December 7, 2024, US President Donald Trump (R) and Ukrainian President Voldimie Zelenki (L) ) and walks.
Julien de Rosa | AFP | Getty Images
Europe is quickly fighting for say in the surprising Russian-Ukurean peace talks after the US exacerbated fears over the weekend that Brussels lacked the highest level of negotiations.
European leaders gathered in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit, which was rushed by French President Emmanuel Macron after hoping for European involvement at the Munich security conference.
Washington and Moscow are scheduled to begin debate this week to end the nearly three-year Russian-Ukraine war in Saudi Arabia.
Ukrainian President Voldimia Zelenki confirmed on Monday that he will be traveling to Riyadh on Wednesday, according to Reuters. He added that there is a good chance that more in-person meetings with Trump will continue.
“Ukraine will not participate. Ukraine knew nothing about it,” he told reporters during a video briefing in the United Arab Emirates that he was on a state visit. “Ukraine considers negotiations with Ukraine that does not exist as a result.”
After Trump said Sunday, Zelensky was involved in peace talks with Russia, dispelling recent conflicting remarks from US authorities.
However, the EU and the UK are unlikely to have physical seats at the negotiation table. First, or as consultations progressed, the envoys of the special presidents of Ukraine and Russia said on Saturday.
“What we don’t want to do is take part in a large group discussion,” he told a fringe event in Munich, saying the benefits of the alliance will be “considered.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Lavrov said of the turmoil on Monday, “I don’t know what European countries should do in their meetings with Ukraine.”
Instead, the US asked its European allies to fill out a survey that outlines the number of troops and capabilities that can be deployed in Ukraine as security guarantees, according to Reuters. Other questions include security guarantees that Europe considers as “a sufficient deterrent to Russia,” ensuring that this conflict ends in a lasting peace.”
Kaja Karas, the European Union’s foreign policy director, said on Saturday that a lasting peace deal would not be possible without European involvement.
“In order for Ukrainians and Europeans to work as part of it, Ukrainians and Europeans to carry out trades in Europe, so if we’re not there, we’re not just working,” she says. Ta. CNBC’s Sylvia Amaro is on the bystander of MSC.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on Friday that failure to ensure Ukraine’s “fair and lasting peace” would “not only weaken Europe, but weaken the United States.” .
European “electro shock”
Nonetheless, former Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsberghis is more critical of Europe’s exclusion from negotiations as he says the bloc should develop its own strategy for peace. There are also.
“I understand the frustration that Europe is not at the table, but the reason is that Europe rarely offers to the table,” he said on CNBC Saturday. “Now, if we are ready to offer military, money, integration into the EU, we can have our own table. We are Ukrainians and Putin and Trump, and Europe and Ukraine that You can invite people to talk about peace as they understand it.
Monday’s summit in Paris will consist of representatives from seven European countries, including German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tass. British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer is also present, and British leaders say they hope to act as a conduit between Brussels and Washington when they are scheduled to meet Trump next week.
The priorities, written on the Telegraph on Sunday, said they were ready to put their British “boots” in Ukraine if necessary.
“We will match our desire for peace exactly with what we want,” Reuters said on Monday in Paris. He added that the continent needs to strengthen its defensive spending.
NATO Executive Director Mark Latte confirmed on Saturday that the military alliance would consider increasing its defensive spending targets when he met the June summit. He didn’t provide any specific numbers, but he later told Politico’s Paul McLeary that the number could be “over 3%.”
Europe confronts the new reality that we are not much coordinated, both in defense and other shared interests. It was left stray on Friday after US Vice President JD Vance launched an attack on European democracy using his speech at the Munich Security Conference.
French Economic and Finance Minister Eric Lombard said on Monday that Trump’s election and Vance’s speech served as a “electro shock” for Europe.
“Europe needs to answer the actions together now,” Lombard told Charlotte Reed, adding that he is “completely confident” that Europe can meet this “historical challenge.”
German scholars also forced European democratic values ​​on Saturday, pointing to the threat of “radical anti-democrats” to German and European foundations.
Still, some EU leaders have expressed concern over the lack of equality across the bloc, exemplified by Macron’s exclusion from the Ukraine Summit. Slovenian President Natasa Pirko Musar said in a post Monday that cherry blossom picking in attendance sent a “false message” about European unification on Ukraine and other issues at a particularly important time.
“On a symbolic level, the convener of the Paris Summit is thereby proven to the world that even European countries are not treated equally,” she writes. “This is not a world-respected Europe. It is not a Europe worth considering as a partner to our North American allies.”
-CNBC’s Sophie Kidelin helped contribute to this report.
