Europe an emergency meeting regarding the Ukraine issue was held in Paris on Monday, February 17th. Leaders from various countries gathered to discuss increasing expenditures to enhance European defense capabilities, but there were disagreements regarding the deployment of peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.
Prior to the emergency meeting, the French President’s office stated that President Macron had a “frank conversation” with U.S. President Trump, which lasted for 20 minutes.
Leaders from countries including France, Germany, UK, Italy, Poland, Spain, Netherlands, and Denmark participated in the Paris emergency meeting. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, and Mark Rutte, the NATO Secretary-General, also attended the meeting.
The emergency meeting of European leaders took place on Monday, a day before the US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia regarding the Russia-Ukraine war and U.S.-Russia relations.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a warning prior to the Paris meeting about what kind of ceasefire agreement could be reached, stating that “A ceasefire must not allow Russia to rearm and trigger new attacks.”
After participating in the emergency meeting on the Ukraine issue, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the media, “This concerns not only the future of Ukraine but also the survival of all of Europe,” emphasizing the critical importance to British national interests.
He emphasized that for Europe’s collective security, only by achieving lasting peace in Ukraine and safeguarding its sovereignty can they prevent Putin from further aggression in the future.
During the Paris emergency meeting, there were differing opinions among the leaders on whether European peacekeeping forces should be deployed to Ukraine after reaching a Russia-Ukraine peace agreement. Starmer became the first European leader to express willingness to deploy troops before the meeting.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz present at the meeting, stated that it is “too early and entirely the wrong time to discuss deploying peacekeeping forces to Ukraine without having reached any peace agreement.”
According to Reuters, a source from the office of the Italian Prime Minister revealed that Prime Minister Meloni also opposed the plan for peacekeeping forces. Meloni was quoted as saying, “Today, discussing various assumptions on the table is useful. In my view, the hypothesis of deploying European soldiers to Ukraine is the most complex and perhaps the most ineffective, expressing my doubts on behalf of Italy.”
Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen expressed an open attitude towards discussing the deployment of peacekeeping forces.
During the emergency meeting in Paris, leaders in attendance agreed to increase defense spending. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, urged the major European nations to change their mindset and be prepared for defense. “We need to strengthen Europe’s defense,” she said.
Prime Minister Frederiksen expressed the need for Europe to enhance its support for Ukraine while also increasing domestic defense spending.
German Chancellor Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the EU should relax strict fiscal rules so that countries do not violate EU deficit rules by increasing defense spending.
Tusk said that the meeting on Monday had “a very important confirmation,” that defense spending would no longer be considered excessive, thereby avoiding the risks and unpleasant consequences of excessive deficit procedures.
He added, “Today’s meeting also confirms that our European partners recognize that it is time for Europe to enhance its self-defense capabilities.”
Before the Paris meeting, Tusk had been urging European countries to significantly increase defense spending to tackle European security challenges.
UK Prime Minister Starmer said, “Today’s informal meeting of European leaders is an important first step in addressing defense challenges. It is clear that the U.S. will not leave NATO, but we as Europeans must do more.”
“The issue of burden-sharing in defense is not new, but now it is urgent, and Europeans must intensify efforts in defense spending and in the capabilities we provide for Ukraine,” he said.
“We are at a very early stage of this process. Europe must play its part, and if there is a lasting peace agreement, I am prepared to commit British troops to be stationed alongside troops from other countries on the ground in Ukraine, but there must be the backing of the United States as their security guarantee is the only effective way to prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine again,” Starmer concluded.