Paris: European leaders have committed to increasing their investment in security and taking a leading role in providing guarantees to Ukraine, though they emphasize that cooperation with the United States remains vital in achieving a lasting peace.
French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting ahead of planned U.S.-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia, which notably excluded European allies and Ukraine. The discussions in Riyadh, set for Tuesday, will be the highest-level direct talks between Washington and Moscow in years.
"Europe is prepared to step up and take the lead in ensuring Ukraine’s security," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated on X following the meeting. "We are ready and willing to invest significantly more in our defense."
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof echoed this urgency, stressing that Europe must stand firmly behind Ukraine at this critical time. However, he underlined the necessity of U.S. cooperation in securing any eventual peace deal.
Trump’s unilateral outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, made without consulting European allies or Kyiv, has heightened concerns among European leaders, pushing them to rethink their role in Ukraine’s security.
While British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed a willingness to deploy peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, he insisted that such a move would require a clear U.S. security commitment.
Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, responded vaguely when asked whether the U.S. would provide such a guarantee, stating that Trump’s approach has always been to leave “no options off the table.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has made it clear that his country will not accept any peace agreements made without its direct involvement.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz have arrived in Riyadh for the talks, which will also involve Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov. The Kremlin has insisted the negotiations will focus on restoring U.S.-Russia relations and ruled out territorial concessions.
Saudi Arabia is also hosting economic discussions between Russian and American officials, with Russian sovereign wealth fund chief Kirill Dmitriev advocating for stronger ties and economic cooperation between the two nations.
While U.S. officials approach the talks as an opportunity to gauge Russia’s sincerity about ending the war, Moscow appears more focused on rebuilding diplomatic and economic relations. The coming discussions will determine whether there is any real path toward peace—or simply a deepening divide between global powers.
