Trump-Putin Ukraine Peace Talks Imminent... Urgent EU Paris Meeting Only Confirms Differences

As President Donald Trump shows clear intentions to end the Ukraine war while completely excluding Europe, European nations are moving urgently. A meeting was held in Paris on Monday afternoon local time, attended by seven European countries including France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Poland, along with NATO and EU officials.

However, smooth consensus was not reached as opinions diverged among countries. The UK first proposed sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, but this proposal received lukewarm responses from other countries. Germany, Poland, and Spain did not immediately respond to the UK's proposal.

While there was consensus that Europe needs to respond quickly and take military action together as the US withdraws from Ukraine, views differed on specific methodologies.

The UK stated it could send British troops along with other countries' forces if a peace agreement is reached. French President Macron, who hosted the meeting, also proposed discussing the deployment of forces near the potential ceasefire line in Ukraine.

It was reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded that discussing troop deployment now would be inappropriate while the war is still ongoing. Germany is also facing general elections on the 23rd, making it difficult to make such major decisions. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also indicated they weren't ready for deployment, offering only to provide logistics and support if other countries deploy troops.

While European countries are taking time due to disagreements, they don't have the luxury of observing the situation leisurely. President Trump is expected to meet with Russian President Putin in Saudi Arabia as soon as tomorrow. Peace talks could proceed here, potentially determining Ukraine's fate.

Last week, the US demanded half of Ukraine's rare earth elements in exchange for deploying US troops, which President Zelenskyy initially rejected.

However, since maintaining the Ukrainian front with European forces alone without US military deployment would be challenging, the possibility of some negotiation remains.

The European Union has decided to review changing deficit rules for member states' defense spending to allow for increased military expenditure. Discussions are also ongoing about creating a joint European army, which, if implemented, would mark the return of a European allied force after about 80 years.

Washington=Special Correspondent Sangeun Lee selee@hankyung.com