European leaders took steps on Sunday to answer assertive US efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, as France announced a meeting of continental leaders and Baltic nations called for new steps to strengthen Kyiv’s hand in any future talks.
The jockeying for position by Europe, Ukraine’s top military and financial backer along with the US, comes as the Trump administration has quickly sought to mediate an end to the fighting three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On Saturday, Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg said Europe would not have a seat at the table for Ukraine peace talks after Washington sent a questionnaire to European capitals to ask what they could contribute to security guarantees for Kyiv. The US has also asked European allies in Nato what they would need from Washington to participate in Ukraine security arrangements, according to a document seen by Reuters.
French President Emmanuel Macron is rallying European leaders, with his foreign minister announcing an emergency “meeting” on Ukraine’s next steps after recent US announcements. On Sunday, foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot sought to project a united front: “A wind of unity is blowing over Europe.” Macron will host an informal meeting Monday with the leaders of Germany, UK, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Macron said he had a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in which Macron discussed Saudi Arabia’s role in any peace deal for Ukraine and how Europe should play a key part in this. AP