Extraordinary EU summit to take place in Paris without Hungary
European leaders gather in Paris on Monday for an extraordinary summit of EU leaders to develop a common strategy on the Russia-Ukraine war, after US President Donald Trump unexpectedly accelerated peace talks.
Trump's phone call with Vladimir Putin last week shocked Western allies as the US president called for immediate talks. In the wake of the US initiative, there are growing fears in Europe that Ukraine could be forced to sign a deal that would compromise its sovereignty and long-term security.
The Paris meeting will be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the leaders of Poland, Donald Tusk, Spain's Pedro Sánchez and Denmark's Mette Frederiksen.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will also take part in the talks, Euronews reported, citing the final list of participants.
Hungary will not attend the meeting, along with several other Member States.
"There will be no credible and successful negotiations, no lasting peace, without Ukraine and without the EU," Costa said in reaction to the Trump-Putin call.
The meeting is scheduled to start at 16.00 CET.
While Trump wants to position the United States as the sole mediator in the negotiation process, European leaders fear that the continent will be left out of the decision-making process altogether. The US administration has already indicated that the EU will not have a seat at the negotiating table, although it will be consulted.
According to the Élysée, the gathering on Monday is designed to be the start of a series of talks among European leaders, including those not invited to Paris.
"Their discussions may then continue in other formats, with the aim of bringing together all partners interested in peace and security in Europe," the Élysée said in a statement.
Tensions are rising in European governments as Trump wants to end the war quickly, even within weeks. The White House has sent a questionnaire to European countries asking about security assurances and what US support they would consider necessary to maintain the peace agreement.
Sir Keir Starmer said the UK would be ‘ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees to Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground if necessary’, while sweden does not exclude its involvement.
The US, though, has warned any mission of this kind would be deprived of NATO's Article 5 of collective assistance, something that could leave soldiers vulnerable to Russian attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy replied by saying his country would "never accept deals made behind our backs" and "without our involvement", and is expected to be French President Emmanuel Macron's strongest ally in the European peace talks. In a combative speech in Munich over the weekend, Zelenskyy warned that Putin might try to invite Trump to the 9 May celebrations at the Red Square, not as a "respected leader" but as "a prop in his own performance."
Meanwhile, US and Russian officials are discussing possible terms for ending the war in Saudi Arabia this week, while European leaders are working to forge a united position on the peace process in Ukraine.
Cover image (for illustration purposes only): Getty Images
