Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is heading to Paris on Monday, Feb. 17, for an urgent meeting with other European leaders about Russia’s war against Ukraine, TVP World reported.
The last-minute summit was called after the US announced over the weekend that Europe would be left out of key peace talks regarding Russia’s invasion.
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French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting the meeting, which will bring together leaders from Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Poland. Top EU official Ursula von der Leyen and NATO’s chief, Mark Rutte, will also be present.
US envoy Keith Kellogg said on Saturday, Feb. 15, that while European leaders may be consulted, they won’t have a seat at the table when the US and Russia begin negotiations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio partially contradicted Kellogg’s words on Sunday, saying that both Kyiv and Europe will be involved if talks about a peace deal in Ukraine advance further.
He said that the talks between Washington and Moscow are preliminary and that “real negotiations” will include Ukraine and Europe.
Tusk, who has spent the past few days at the Munich Security Conference alongside other world leaders, warned that Europe cannot afford to sit back and wait for others to decide its fate.
“Europe urgently needs its own plan of action concerning Ukraine and our security, or else other global players will decide about our future. Not necessarily in line with our own interest. This plan must be prepared now. There’s no time to lose,” he wrote on X.
Realpolitik and Betrayal
Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia – Without Ukraine?
The first round of peace talks is expected to take place soon in Saudi Arabia. US officials and Russian representatives are set to meet – but Ukraine is reportedly not included.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country hasn’t even been invited, despite his recent meeting with US Vice President JD Vance in Germany. He made it clear that Kyiv wouldn’t engage in peace talks without first consulting its allies.
Zelensky’s French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, has been in contact with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to Reuters, the two leaders discussed how Saudi Arabia might play a role in brokering peace and how Europe should be involved.
The White House, meanwhile, has been quietly asking European governments how much they’re willing to do for peacekeeping in Ukraine.
A leaked questionnaire reportedly asks European countries if they would be willing to send troops, for how long, and how large a force they could contribute. It also asks what kind of support they would need from Washington.
One of the key questions, according to Reuters, is: “What, if any, US support requirements would your government consider necessary for its participation in these security arrangements? Specifically, which short-term and long-term resources do you think will be required from the US?
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