FILE PHOTO: France's President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pose ahead of a meeting in Brussels, Belgium Dec 18, 2024. [Photo/Agencies]
France's President Emmanuel Macron will host a summit of European partners in Paris on Monday as senior officials ponder how to react to the US plan that Europe be shut out from talks over how to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to lead a group of Washington representatives travelling to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russian officials this week, but neither Ukraine nor Europe has been invited to take part, sparking concern over any possible peace terms that may be discussed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and US Vice-President JD Vance held talks during Munich Security Conference on Friday, but there was no announcement of a critical minerals agreement, which will allow US investment in Ukraine's resources of key minerals.
Macron has decided to call together senior European officials, although a full list of attendees has yet not been made public.
"The president will bring together the main European countries tomorrow for discussions on European security," France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told radio station France Inter on Sunday, while stressing that the nature and short-term calling of the gathering should not be "over-dramatized".
"Only the Ukrainians can decide to stop fighting," he said. The Ukrainians, he continued, "will never stop as long as they are not sure the peace suggested to them will be long-lasting. Who can provide the guarantees? It's the Europeans."
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has called for the creation of a united European army, also insists Europe must be represented in discussions over what is a European issue.
"Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement. And the same rule should apply to all of Europe," he said. "No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine. No decisions about Europe without Europe. Europe must have a seat at the table when decisions about Europe are being made. Anything else is zero. If we're left out of negotiations about our own future then we all lose."
As well as political leaders from individual European Union member states, expected attendees in Paris include British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
US Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg, who will be in Brussels on Monday, defended the exclusion of Europe but referred to US President Donald Trump's repeated demand that NATO members in Europe pay more towards the upkeep of the defense community.
"I come from the school of realism, I think that's not going to happen", he said when asked about European involvement in peace talks. "To my European friends, I would say, enter the discussion not with complaints about whether or not you're at the table, but by offering concrete proposals and ideas, particularly on defense spending."
