Following an emergency meeting in Paris, European leaders remain divided on how to respond to US President Donald Trump's dramatic policy shift on Ukraine, with France and Britain pushing for security guarantees and Germany bristling at any suggestion troops could be deployed.
With European policymakers still reeling from US Vice President JD Vance's withering attack on the European Union at an annual security conference in Munich, key leaders attended the meeting at the Elysée Palace on Monday called at the last minute by President Emmanuel Macron.
This comes amid worries that Trump will freeze Europe out of peace talks with Moscow that will also exclude Kyiv, fears that have been heightened by an unprecedented meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday between the top diplomats from Russia and the United States.
The Paris summit weighed measures including ramping up defence spending to be less dependent on the US, providing security guarantees to Kyiv, and sending troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers in the event of a ceasefire.
Speaking to RFI, former French MEP Sylvie Goulard described the developments as part of a long-standing issue. “What the American authorities have said is worrying, but not totally surprising.
"For years, Democratic administrations have emphasised the need for Europe to make more effort in its own defence. And when I say effort, I'm not just talking about the one per cent of GDP.
"It's a like a mental preparation to become fully grown up and capable of defending ourselves collectively. Even though war is already on European soil”.
Macron calls Zelensky, Trump
Following Monday's talks at the Elysée Palace, Macron held spoke with both Trump and Zelensky by telephone, calling for "strong and credible security guarantees" for Ukraine so that any peace deal does not end up like the 2014 and 2015 Minsk agreements that failed to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Posting on social mediat after the call, Zelensky said he and Macron shared a "common vision" for how to achieve peace, including that "security guarantees must be robust and reliable".
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "prepared to consider committing British forces on the ground alongside others if there is a lasting peace agreement."
But he insisted Washington had to be involved, saying "there must be a US backstop, because a US security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again."
After the talks, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that any debate on sending peacekeepers to Ukraine was "completely premature" and "highly inappropriate" while the war is ongoing.
Europe scrambles to boost defence as US wavers on Ukraine support
'Peace through strenghth'
There was no joint statement or major announcements after the Paris meeting, however, which participants said needed to be left for discussion within the EU or NATO.
"Everyone at this meeting is aware that transatlantic relations, the NATO alliance and our friendship with the United States have entered a new phase. We all see that," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that "Ukraine deserves peace through strength" and this should be "respectful of its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, with strong security guarantees".
"Ready and willing," was how NATO chief Mark Rutte described Europe's position after the Paris meeting. "The details will need to be decided but the commitment is clear."
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her government was "open-minded" on the issue of troops but warned a key question was if the United States was "going to back up on Europe" if troops were sent.
Russia is "threatening all Europe now," she added, warning the US against attempts to agree a "fast" ceasefire that would give Russia the chance "to mobilise again, attack Ukraine or another country in Europe."
Goulard agreed on the need for European unity, telling RFI that for the continent to speak with one voice, "some people need to keep quiet".
"That's the problem. The world has changed and all the young, dynamic and sometimes aggressive countries around us are not going to tolerate a horde of Europeans.
"But when you above all hear the calls for help from Mr Zelensky who tells us that this war is not Ukraine's war, but that it is Russia's war against Europe, Vladimir Putin's Russia … I think we have to listen”.
Nato chief Rutte insists Trump and Putin peace plan must include Ukraine
European allies close ranks
Macron has described Trump's return for a second term in the White House as an "electroshock" but also warned against any peace deal that could amount to "capitulation."
According to French newspaper Le Monde, the rupture between Europe and the United States is "historic", but added that Europe had to show its capacity to ensure its own defence.
"European blindness came to an abrupt end in Munich. From now on, the security of the continent depends essentially on the Europeans themselves, and on their ability to maintain their unity," it added.
With Britain signalling that the deployment of troops to Ukraine is no longer out of the question, the shift in Washington's position on Ukraine has reinforced a sense of European unity that had been wavering, pushing Western allies to close ranks in response.
Goulard highlighted the implications for Eastern Europe: “The situation is worrying because, for a number of European countries, we belong to NATO and [need] American protection.
"Beyond all the treaties, the reality of American military power [is that the US] spends nearly $900 billion a year on defence," which is why the European Union has lived in peace, she explains.
"For the countries of Central and Eastern Europe ... any possible withdrawal of the United States must be assessed calmly. For the moment, it is not on the table, but it would mark a considerable change".
The Paris talks concluded late Monday as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with a Russian delegation including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Riyadh on Tuesday, ahead of a future meeting between Trump and Putin in the Saudi capital.
