Poland’s foreign minister stressed the European Union’s need to respond to President Trump’s negotiating approach.
Following a US-Russia agreement to hold Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia, excluding the EU, French President Emmanuel Macron has convened an emergency summit of European leaders.
Presidents Trump and Putin held their first known direct conversation since the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022 on Wednesday.
Their top diplomats followed up on Saturday with a call to prepare for a potential high-level summit. Later that day, US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg confirmed the EU’s exclusion from these negotiations.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski welcomed Macron’s summit initiative at the Munich Security Conference, confirming its Monday location in France.
“I am pleased President Macron has summoned European leaders to Paris,” Sikorski stated, according to Politico, anticipating a serious discussion of the challenges posed by Trump.
Sikorski reported that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accepted the invitation, planning to attend to demonstrate European strength and unity.
While the full guest list remains undisclosed, The Guardian reported UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s attendance.
Macron previously emphasized EU involvement, arguing in the Financial Times that while Ukraine should lead discussions on its sovereignty, the EU plays a crucial role in addressing security guarantees and the broader regional security framework.
Ukrainian President Zelensky, who previously forbade direct negotiations with Putin, acknowledged Kiev’s exclusion from the Saudi Arabia talks. “Perhaps there’s a discussion underway, but not one involving us,” he told reporters at the Munich Security Conference.
Politico’s request for comment from a French government spokesperson or Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot received no immediate response.