Paris, February 16, 2025 – The Europe Today: French President Emmanuel Macron has convened an emergency summit of European leaders to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, following reports that former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are preparing to hold peace talks, multiple media outlets reported.
Trump, who recently returned to the Oval Office, stated last week that he expects to hold multiple meetings in pursuit of a negotiated settlement to the conflict.
“We ultimately expect to meet,” Trump said from the White House. “In fact, we expect that he’ll come here, and I’ll go there, and we’re going to meet also, probably in Saudi Arabia. The first time we’ll meet in Saudi Arabia.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, expressed concerns about the reported meetings, noting that Ukraine had not been invited to participate in any of the discussions.
“It is strange to hold a meeting in such a format before we have had consultations with our strategic partners,” Zelensky said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.
Macron has reportedly responded to the developments by calling for an urgent gathering of European leaders in Paris, a move aimed at assessing the implications of Trump’s diplomatic approach.
“I’m very glad that President Macron has called our leaders to Paris,” Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said at the Munich conference, according to Politico. Sikorski noted that the summit would provide an opportunity to address Trump’s diplomatic maneuvers “in a very serious fashion.”
“President Trump has a method of operating which the Russians call razvedka boyem – reconnaissance through battle. You push and you see what happens, and then you change your position . . . And we need to respond,” Sikorski added.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the summit as a “once-in-a-generation” national security moment, underlining the need for Europe to present a united front on the Ukraine conflict.
Macron had previously indicated a willingness to work with Trump following his re-election, expressing readiness to cooperate on global affairs.
“Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump,” Macron wrote in a message after Trump’s victory. “Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”
Meanwhile, Zelensky responded to recent statements from Trump and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who suggested last week that restoring Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders—including Crimea—was an unrealistic objective.
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Zelensky asserted that while Ukraine could consider diplomatic solutions regarding its occupied territories, it would never legally recognize Russian claims over them.
“Judicially, we will not recognize … our occupied territory like territory of Russia. We will never do it,” Zelensky stated. However, he acknowledged that territorial discussions could be part of a broader diplomatic settlement, particularly in exchange for Ukraine’s NATO membership.
“Yes, we have to return it diplomatically. Yes, we can. If we are in NATO, it’s understandable why diplomatically, it’s very understandable,” he said, adding that Ukraine’s priority is to avoid further human losses while seeking a “good, diplomatic” resolution to territorial disputes.
Despite these considerations, Hegseth reiterated last week that the U.S. does not believe NATO membership for Ukraine is a feasible outcome in a negotiated settlement.
The upcoming summit in Paris is expected to address these pressing concerns, as European leaders seek to coordinate their response to Trump’s diplomatic strategy and its potential ramifications for Ukraine and the broader security landscape in Europe.
