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European countries clashed to send troops to Ukraine as they began a crisis meeting aimed at reaching a consensus on how to respond to US President Donald Trump’s peace talks with Russia.
As the leaders gathered in Paris for the emergency meeting on Monday afternoon, Germany, Poland and Spain signaled the reluctance to send peacekeeping forces to the war -torn country, hours after Britain offered to place “boots on the ground”.
Monday’s meeting, which France also hopes to give plans to help European countries increase defense spending, was received by President Emmanuel Macron and attended by six EU countries, the United Kingdom and NATO officials and Be.
Macron and Trump spoke just before the Paris summit.
US European allies are competing to respond to the president’s friend’s announcement of talks with Russia, which will begin Tuesday in Saudi Arabia.
France has proposed the discussion of a “security force” to be placed, not in a line of future weapons in Ukraine, according to three officials informed about preparations for the meeting.
While the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Sir Keir Starmer has said that he is “ready and ready..
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who faces elections across the country on Sunday, held his long care for troops’ placements, saying the debate was premature.
“The question now is how peace can be secured without decisions on the heads of the Ukrainian people,” he said before the meeting.
“No one is thinking of sending troops to Ukraine,” said José Manuel Albares, Spain’s Foreign Minister. “Peace is still far away and only for one reason: Vladimir Putin.”
He added that any discussion of troops or peacekeepers will “must consider that mission, who will include it, under what flag, with what mandate.”
Although Poland has significantly increased protection costs since the beginning of the war and is usually relatively fierce, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Warsaw was not ready to send troops to Ukraine.
“But we will also support in terms of logistics and political support, places that will probably want to give such guarantees in the future,” Tusk added.
“If we, Europeans, fail to spend a lot on protection now, we will be forced to spend 10 times more if we do not prevent a wider war,” he said.
Monday’s meeting was decided to discuss the financing of the increase in European protection spending and military skills, potentially through joint borrowing or what the French call other “innovative financing” methods.
Macron has long called the EU to be involved in joint borrowing to reduce its confidence in US troops and weapons, though Germany and the Netherlands have opposed such action.
The dramatic change in the US stay in Ukraine has forced the positions of European leaders to evolve rapidly.
EU Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen said on Friday that she would propose capitals to allow a temporary relief of the Block rules for deficits for specifically, a plan for which EU officials – They said they had widespread support throughout the block.
Starmer is also committed to defining a “path” for UK defense expenses to reach 2.5 percent of GDP
Speaking to reporters before traveling to Paris, the British prime minister said: “This is not just about the first line in Ukraine. The first line of Europe and the United Kingdom is about our national security and I I think we need to do more. “
Reporting from Leila Abboud and Ben Hall in Paris, Henry Foy in Brussels, Raphael Minder in Warsaw, Barney Jopson in Madrid, Laura Pitel in Berlin and George Parker in London.
