While British leader Keir Starmer confirmed that he was ready to consider sending British forces to Ukraine alongside others, German leader Olaf Scholz described the idea as "premature".
After three hours of emergency talks at the Elysee Palace in Paris, European leaders were left without a common view on a possible peacekeeping force after the US diplomatic blunder in Ukraine last week threw the once-solid transatlantic alliance into disarray.
Hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, the meeting was attended by the leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark. They were also joined by NATO chief Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa.
There has been a rift with some EU countries, such as Poland, which have said they do not want their military imprint on Ukrainian soil. Macron was non-committal.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for US support while confirming that he was prepared to consider sending British forces to Ukrainian soil alongside others "if a lasting peace agreement is reached".
He stressed that the transatlantic link remains of vital importance. "There must be an American backstop, because an American security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again," He said.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof admitted that Europeans "must come to a common conclusion on what we can contribute. And that's how we end up getting a seat at the table," adding that 'just sitting at the table without contributing is pointless'.
He added that "if security guarantees mean that European troops are needed, then I think the Netherlands should at least enter the discussion".
"Premature" deployment of ground troops
German Chancellor Olaf Scholzwho highlighted the disagreements between many states over possible troop contributions, said talk of troop deployments on the ground was "premature".
"It's very inappropriate, to put it bluntly and honestly: we don't even know what the outcome will be." possible peace talks, he added.
European countries, however, after years of US complaints, are inclined to strengthen their armed forces where they can, and most have increased defence spending to 2 % of GDP, but the path to reaching 3 % is unclear.
"The time has come for a much greater ability for Europe to defend itself," said the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. "There is unity on the issue of increasing defence spending. It is an absolute necessity." Poland spends more than 4 % of its GDP on defence, more than any other NATO member.
Last week, US Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth questioned both Europe's security commitments and its basic democratic principles.
Macron, who has long advocated a stronger European defence, said their shrill rebukes and threats of non-cooperation in the face of military danger were a shock to the system.
The turning point came when Trump decided to overturn years of US policy and opened talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the hope of ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Macron spoke with Trump shortly before Monday's meeting in Paris, but Macron's office would not disclose details of the 20-minute discussion.
euronews/ gnews.cz - RoZ
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