Barred from US-Russia talks on Ukraine, Europe scrambles for response with Paris summit

Reeling from shocks delivered by the Trump administration last week, European leaders held emergency talks in Paris on Monday as US and Russian officials prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine – without European or Ukrainian involvement.

Aside from a brief call Monday between French President Emmanuel Macron and his US counterpart Donald Trump, European leaders have been sidelined at the start of a pivotal week for the continent’s security.

Instead, the focus will be on US-Russia talks in Riyadh, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio will sit down on Tuesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said the discussion will aim to end the “abnormal period” in relations between the two “great powers.” Those talks could lay the ground for a potential meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Faced with the prospect of a diminished US footprint in Europe, the European leaders’ meeting focused on the potential deployment of European troops to Ukraine and the willingness of European allies to step up defense spending.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called the Paris meeting a “one in a generation” moment for the continent’s national security, said afterwards that he is “prepared to consider committing British forces on the ground, alongside others, if there is a lasting peace agreement.”