The leaders of France, Germany, Spain, and Italy, among others, will meet in Paris tomorrow to discuss the situation in Europe after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intention to negotiate directly with Russia to resolve the conflict in Ukraine without involving Europe. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has called for an informal summit with leaders of the European Union and NATO, as well as seven other heads of state and government.
Present will be German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. The aim is to analyze the future of Europe after this weekend's Munich Security Conference, which was marked by the rapprochement between Trump and Putin and its impact on the situation in Ukraine.
Sources from the French government confirmed that Macron has organized an "informal" meeting for Monday afternoon, with the participation of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council, António Costa, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in addition to other leaders. Macron seeks to initiate a consultative process among European leaders regarding the situation in Ukraine and European security issues.
European leaders have expressed surprise and concern over Trump's announcements, which imply direct negotiations between the United States and Russia without including Europe or Ukraine. The Munich Conference was marked by tensions between the United States and Europe regarding increased defense spending and future security relations with Ukraine amid the rapprochement between Trump and Putin.
Additionally, U.S. Vice President James Vance's speech at the Munich Conference, where he referenced a retreat of freedom of expression in Europe and mentioned a persecution of "alternative" policies, was interpreted by the German government as a worrying tacit support from Washington for the neo-Nazi sympathetic party Alternative for Germany.
