French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a crucial meeting in Paris on Tuesday with military chiefs from 30 European and NATO countries – including the United Kingdom and Turkey – to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine should a peace agreement with Russia emerge.
President Emmanuel Macron is to address Tuesday's meeting, which he has said is being held in tight coordination with NATO military command.
More than three years since Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine, Europe is scrambling to boost its defences and break free from dependence on the United States.
This comes as US President Donald Trump announced a halt to military aid and intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, forcing European nations to reassess their strategy.
Trump has also renewed communication with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and criticised Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, raising fears in Kyiv and among European allies that the US leader may try to force Ukraine to accept a settlement favouring Russia.
Ukraine on Tuesday, in talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia, was to propose an aerial and naval ceasefire with Russia, according to a Ukrainian official.
Macron sounds alarm on US-Russia shift, urges Europe to stand firm
Coalition of the willing
Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been leading efforts to form a so-called "coalition of the willing" to enforce an eventual ceasefire in Ukraine.
Macron last week said any European troops in Ukraine would only be deployed "once a peace deal is signed, to guarantee it is fully respected".
Defence ministers from Europe's five main military powers – France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Poland – are to meet in the French capital on Wednesday.
Those talks will centre on the "necessary rearmament of Europe" and military support to Ukraine, one of the French defence minister's aides has said.
Starmer will, in turn, host virtual talks on Saturday with leaders of the nations willing to help support the ceasefire, his office has said.
'Europe must do the heavy lifting' in Ukraine, needs 'US backing': UK's Starmer
Shifting geopolitical landscape
Macron’s decision to hold Tuesday's gathering falls in line with his long-held vision of a stronger, independent European defence strategy.
In a recent address, Macron stressed the need for Europe to be ready to act alone if necessary, given the shifting geopolitical landscape and uncertainties surrounding external support.
Macron affirmed that France must be prepared to step up if the United States is no longer willing or able to provide support.
France's commitment is reinforced by the European Union’s ambitious plans to ramp up defence spending.
At an emergency summit in Brussels last week, EU leaders agreed to a historic boost in defence budgets, focused on enhancing the continent’s military capabilities.
EU leaders vow to boost defence as US announces new talks with Kyiv
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a fund of up to €800 billion, including €150 billion in loans for joint procurement of European defence equipment.
Meanwhile, Macron has extended France’s nuclear deterrent offer to the rest of Europe, with the aim of securing cooperation by mid-2025.
Clément Beaune – the newly appointed High Commissioner for Planning in France and former Minister for Europe – spoke to RFI on Monday, emphasising that while Europeans are committed to rearming, "a lot of time has been lost on European defence".
He told RFI that France must invest more in its armed forces "without breaking its social model".
Defending his role as High Commissioner for Planning – a position previously held by Prime Minister François Bayrou – Beaune insisted that "thinking about the long term is not a luxury but a necessity".
