PARIS — A French-led effort by European leaders to present a united front on Ukraine in the face of rising fear over U.S. President Donald Trump’s intentions fizzled Monday as they failed to agree on sending troops to police a possible peace deal.
French President Emmanuel Macron had called the emergency meeting in Brussels after European leaders were left reeling by news that the U.S. would start negotiations with Russia to end its war on Ukraine, but without inviting any representatives from Europe or from Ukraine.
But after a 3.5-hour huddle at the Elysée presidential palace, the response of leaders to the biggest shift in security calculus for decades was underwhelming.
“We realize that such meetings do not end in decisions,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after the meeting.
Leaders came up with no new joint ideas, squabbled over sending troops to Ukraine, and once again mouthed platitudes on aiding Ukraine and boosting defense spending.
“Today in Paris we reaffirmed that Ukraine deserves peace through strength,” said both European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.
The core dispute was over whether to send troops to Ukraine if there is an agreement to end the war. U.S. President Donald Trump has ruled out both sending U.S. forces and allowing Ukraine to join NATO, meaning that any effort to prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine again would have to be borne by Europeans.
The U.S. sent a questionnaire to European NATO countries asking them to spell out what they would be prepared to offer to enforce a peace agreement, as well as what they would expect from the U.S.
But there was no consensus on the issue.
France, whose President Emmanuel Macron first suggested the idea, and the U.K.’s Keir Starmer, both support the idea, although Starmer said that could only happen if the United States also participated in any peacekeeping force.
He insisted on the need for a “U.S. backstop” after peace is secured in Ukraine, in order to “deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.”
But Poland, a frontline state and a close ally of Ukraine with one of the largest militaries in Europe, demurred.
“We do not anticipate sending Polish soldiers to Ukraine,” Tusk said in Warsaw before flying to Paris.
“Poland simply doesn’t have the additional capacity to send troops to Ukraine,” said a senior Polish official who spoke on condition of being granted anonymity, noting the country has long borders with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Russia-allied Belarus, which need to be reinforced with Polish forces. “The French are far away so they can send soldiers to Ukraine; we’re close so we cannot.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after the meeting that any debate on sending peacekeepers to Ukraine was “completely premature” and “highly inappropriate” while the war was continued.
Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen said “many, many” things needed to be clarified before troops can be sent to Ukraine.
More money
The leaders did find some common ground on the need for increased defense spending — which has been steadily increasing for a decade.
Starmer acknowledged that “Europeans will have to step up, both in terms of spending and the capabilities that we provide to Ukraine,” while Tusk said U.S.-EU relations on defense were entering “a new stage,” as Europeans realize the need for more spending on defense and greater self-reliance.
“Europe has understood the U.S. message that it has to do more itself,” said Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, adding: “It is all still far too early to make concrete agreements.”
Scholz restated his support for the EU proposal to trigger an emergency clause to massively boost defense spending, which von der Leyen backed at last week’s Munich Security Conference. Under this proposal, countries would be able to exempt defense spending from EU debt and deficit limits.
But despite disquiet verging on panic at last weekend’s Munich Security Summit following a vitriolic attack by U.S. Vice President JD Vance against European democracy, most leaders were reluctant to publicly break with the U.S. which has provided the backbone of the continent’s security since 1945.
“There must be no division of security and responsibility between Europe and the United States,” Scholz said.
And Tusk said: “Someone must also say that it is in the interest of Europe and the U.S. to cooperate as closely as possible.”
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