As Unites States and Russian diplomats prepare for peace talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, European leaders have convened an emergency meeting in Paris, alarmed by their exclusion from the negotiations.
The growing divide between the U.S. and Europe over Ukraine and broader security matters became starkly evident at the recent Munich Security Conference, according to Elie Tenenbaum, a security expert at the French Institute for International Relations.
“Their worst nightmare has come true,” Tenenbaum explains. “They see that the Trump administration is going to bypass them and try to strong-arm Ukraine in negotiating a deal with Russia to end the war.”
Hopes for transatlantic unity under the new U.S. administration have dimmed, particularly after a series of statements made by key American officials.
U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, in Brussels, Vice President JD Vance and special Russia-Ukraine envoy General Keith Kellogg in Munich, and President Trump himself, following a 90-minute call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, have signaled a shift in Washington’s approach, leaving European allies feeling sidelined.
“The Europeans now realize they are standing alone,” Tenenbaum says.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in Munich, urged Europe to take charge of its own security, advocating for the creation of a European fighting force.
“So that Europe’s future depends only on Europeans, and decisions about Europe are made in Europe,” he declared, drawing a standing ovation.
“Zelensky is saying this is our moment—where we either stand up and fight or we give up and let the Russians and the Americans draw the lines,” Tenenbaum adds.
In response, French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a high-level meeting on Monday with leaders from Britain, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark, seeking a unified European stance.
British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, writing in The Daily Telegraph, signaled the U.K.’s willingness to send troops to Ukraine to help secure a future peace agreement.
According to Tenenbaum, at least three major European nations must take the lead in forming a credible guarantor force.
“What you need is for the UK and Poland to be on board along with France. And ideally a fourth country which could be Germany or Italy,” he suggests.
For Europe to assert itself in the peace process, Tenenbaum believes its leaders must make their presence indispensable.
“To be enough of a troublemaker that the U.S. and Russia realize the process may derail if they’re kept out of the room,” he argues.
Whether European leaders are prepared to take bold risks to secure their place at the negotiating table remains to be seen.
