European leaders hold emergency talks amid fears Trump has abandoned longtime allies

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that only a security commitment from the United States can ensure lasting peace in Ukraine. His remarks came after European leaders gathered at the Élysée Palace for emergency talks on the situation in Ukraine and U.S.-led peace efforts. Sir Keir emphasized that American support is crucial to ending the war.

Speaking in Paris, Sir Keir said, "American security guarantees are vital to achieving lasting peace because only America can deter Putin from attacking again." Leaders from Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the European Union attended the emergency talks to discuss Europe's security dilemmas. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also participated in the meeting.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump shortly before the meeting, but did not disclose details of the 20-minute discussion. Previously, senior officials in the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance, had hinted that Washington was prepared to accommodate the Kremlin while snubbing its long-standing European allies.

Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, General Keith Kellogg, briefed NATO's 31 American allies and EU officials in Brussels, emphasizing that Europe had no say at the negotiating table. General Kellogg stated, "I don't think it's reasonable or feasible to have everyone sitting at the negotiating table. We know what that leads to, so our focus is on keeping it as simple and quick as possible."

President Macron, a long-time advocate for strengthening European defense, said that non-cooperative signals from some countries in the face of military threats were alarming. Sir Keir stated that lasting peace would not be possible without U.S. support. "Europe must play its part, and I am prepared to consider sending British troops to Ukraine alongside other nations to support a lasting peace agreement, but it must have America as a backstop," Sir Keir said in Paris.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen echoed Sir Keir's views. She stated after the meeting, "A ceasefire must never lead to Russia rearming, otherwise it will trigger new Russian attacks." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters after the emergency meeting that any possible peace agreement with Russia could not be imposed on Ukraine from the outside.

Scholz stated, "We welcome the ongoing talks and the development of peace everywhere. But for us, it must be clear that this does not mean that peace can be imposed by force, and that Ukraine must accept what is imposed on it." Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said in a virtual press conference in Kyiv that negotiations with Europe were progressing rapidly, adding that recent moves by the United States "accelerated everything." Zelenskyy stated that Macron had agreed to brief him on the conclusions of the Paris meeting.

Over the weekend, Sir Keir stated that Britain was "ready and willing" to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine to support a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow. However, Scholz said it was too early to talk about ground troops. "It is far too early to have this discussion at all, and it is completely inappropriate. I am even a little annoyed by these debates," Scholz said. He also added that peace negotiations "have not yet taken place, and Ukraine has not agreed and is not sitting at the negotiating table."

Scholz further stated, "Frankly, this is very inappropriate. We don't even know what the outcome will be," he said, referring to the upcoming peace talks. Senior U.S. and Russian officials are scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.