Europe Insists on Role in Ukraine Peace Talks After Trump-Putin Call

Paris, France (February 13, 2025) – Leading European nations, including Britain, France, and Germany, have asserted that they must be part of any negotiations on Ukraine’s future, emphasizing that a fair settlement with security guarantees is the only path to lasting peace. A joint statement from seven European countries and the European Commission, issued after a foreign ministers’ meeting in Paris, underscored this position. “Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations,” the statement read, adding that a just peace in Ukraine is essential for transatlantic security.

The meeting came in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that both leaders were ready to begin negotiations to end the war. This move has alarmed European allies, who fear that the future of the continent’s security is being decided without their involvement. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stressed that there could be “no just and lasting peace without European participation.” Germany’s Annalena Baerbock and Spain’s Jose Manuel Albares Bueno insisted that Ukraine must be included in any decision-making, while Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski highlighted the importance of transatlantic cooperation for Europe’s security. However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said she had “no European nations to read out” as being involved in the negotiations, further raising concerns among European diplomats.

The tensions escalated after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made his most direct remarks yet on the war, stating that the return of Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is unrealistic, NATO membership for Kyiv is not part of a peace solution, and a European-led security force would have to replace U.S. military support. Hegseth clarified that any European troops deployed in Ukraine would not be part of NATO and would not have Article 5 protection. The UK responded swiftly, with Defense Secretary John Healey committing £4.5 billion in military aid for Ukraine this year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed deep concerns over the shift in U.S. policy, warning that security guarantees without American involvement are ineffective. He estimated that a post-war deterrence force would require 100,000 to 150,000 troops, far fewer than the 600,000 Russian forces currently in occupied territories. European leaders are now left to navigate an uncertain diplomatic landscape, with concerns that Trump’s approach may embolden Russia to demand further concessions.

Source: The Guardian