It is serious, according to everything such as French President Emmanuel Macron, on Monday afternoon, eight European government leaders, two EU leaders and the boss of NATO greeted for an emergency meeting about Ukraine and the European defense on the Élysée. The open place for the presidential palace is full of press from all over Europe. When British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives as the first guest, Macron walks down the stairs to shake hands – according to the presidential protocols a way to show that it is an ‘moment of exceptional gravity’.
While the guests drip into the palace, a Élysée advisor whispers the press that Macron called for twenty minutes earlier in the day with US President Donald Trump. With this, the Élysée wants to show that the emergency meeting does not ‘take place’ of the Americans. That the lines with ally are and remain open with ally. The future of that alliance is also uncertain, now that the US has made it clear that Europe has no room at the negotiating table for the peace talks about Ukraine – the most important reason for the hurried meeting.
At a press conference after the three -hour meeting, Prime Minister Dick Schoof made it clear that no concrete agreements were made. That was not possible, the prime minister, because the group was so small. He did, however, leave the meeting with “a great sense of urgency.” It has been pronounced by those present that Europe must do more to guarantee the safety of the continent, but, the prime minister emphasized, always ‘in together with America’. “The message is: we want to do this together with the Americans and we see in Europe to do more.”
Deterrent
What this means ‘more’ exactly is still unclear. Schoof was only talking about “emptying the last European defenses” to send it to Ukraine. Because about many things, the EU Member States still disagree, of the willingness to send European troops to Ukraine as a deterrent power, the war could indeed come to an end to the need to take out joint loans to raise the defense budgets screws. Also within the group that was present on Monday there are major differences of opinion about this: for example, the Netherlands is an opponent of entering into so -called Eurobonds and its large countries such as Germany, Poland and Spain against sending troops, which France and the UK are benevolent.
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In addition to Macron, the Government Leaders of the United Kingdom and six EU member states were present at the ‘informal meeting’: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Also Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte was there, as well as chairman of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the chairman of the European Council António Costa.
Small -scale set -up
The great sense of urgency that is emitted on all sides does not come out of nowhere. Europe knows that if it wants to play a role in the peace negotiations, it will soon have to make clear what it wants and has to offer. That was also the idea of the small-scale setup: 21 EU leaders are missing Monday-to the public chagrin of some of them. In this way the usual lengthy European meeting sessions could be avoided. Moreover, the meeting would not be dominated by sleepers – countries such as Hungary and Slovakia, who are critical of Russian sanctions and support to Ukraine – versus the rest.
21 EU leaders were missing, to the public chagrin of some of them
A diplomat calls it “a mix of countries that protrude above it because of their size and countries that stand out because of their involvement.” But that does not mean that there are no major differences between the countries present. That became apparent in the last few days, when Meloni praised the speech in Munich of the American vice president JD Vance while it came as a shock in most other EU member states.
Almost offered
The Minitop was an attempt to get the European noses in the same direction in terms of European role during the peace negotiations for Ukraine and the period after a possible peace agreement. Hurry is required because the first conversations between Russia and the US on the subject on Tuesday are already on the agenda. The American envoy for Ukraine has gone off European countries in Munich – according to Polrico and the Financial Times With a questionnaire in hand-to find out what contribution they can make to a possible deterrent for Ukraine in the case of a ceasefire.
That Europe wants to talk to the peace negotiations is obvious. The European countries are closely involved in the war through the arms deliveries and other support for the Ukrainians and the sanctions against Russia. And the safety of other European countries, especially on the east flank of the continent, can be at risk if it is not guaranteed in Ukraine. “We believe that there is currently more at stake than just the future of this country,” said a source in the Élysée, which emphasizes that the Minitop is about Ukraine and the broader European security.
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NATO boss Rutte and President Macron made it clear in the last few days that, as far as they are concerned, Europe should come up with concrete steps: “Knock yourself at the table,” Rutte said about the negotiation interviews on the safety stop in Munich. “Trump now tells Europe: it’s up to you to bear the burden. And I say: it’s up to us to take that burden on us, “said Macron in an interview with the Ft. Within the Élysée it was already announced that Macron would insist that “the Europeans should do more and better, in a coherent way.”
Less dependent
That Macron took on the minitop is no surprise. The French president has been insisting for years that Europe has to do more on its own defense to become less dependent on the United States-in line with the traditional America-critical attitude of France. Macron therefore seems to see himself as a natural leader in terms of this issue, in which the president is still right after years of calling in the desert. And the other EU countries also seem to find this: according to Paris it was at their request that Macron organized the Minitop.
The question is how to proceed. In the Élysée it is emphasized that the Paris meeting is only one step, a follow -up to the Defense summit that took place in Brussels at the beginning of February, and that the conversation about Ukraine and European security will be conducted at other times. “As far as we are concerned, this conversation enters into everyone,” said the source. “It is mainly for practical reasons that we start with a limited number of partners.”
The Élysée had not yet made an explanation on Monday evening about the results of the emergency top.