A hastily arranged meeting in Paris on Monday exposed deep divisions among European leaders regarding their role in Ukraine peace talks and potential troop deployments. The summit followed U.S. officials’ refusal at the Munich Security Conference to include European nations in direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer voiced support for French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to send European troops to Ukraine as a buffer against further Russian aggression. Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer also indicated that her country would not rule out sending forces. However, other European leaders quickly distanced themselves from the idea.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk flatly rejected the notion of deploying Polish troops, stating that while Poland would continue to provide financial and logistical aid to Ukraine, direct military involvement was not an option. Instead, Tusk called on other European nations to increase defense spending, highlighting Poland’s position as a NATO frontline state bordering Russia’s Kaliningrad region.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared it “highly inappropriate” to discuss troop deployments. A German government official told Le Figaro that Berlin would not consider sending forces to Ukraine without the “full commitment” of the United States, emphasizing that the peacekeeping process must remain a “transatlantic task.”
The reluctance from Germany and Poland further underscored the Trump administration’s stance that Europe should not be included in direct peace negotiations. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that Washington would not deploy troops to Ukraine, nor would any European force be considered a NATO mission. This means that European soldiers stationed in Ukraine would not be protected under NATO’s Article 5, which mandates collective defense in the event of an attack.
Hungary’s government, which was excluded from the Paris summit despite sharing a border with Ukraine, strongly criticized the meeting. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused European leaders of attempting to derail peace efforts, arguing that those attending had “fueled escalation for three years” rather than seeking a diplomatic resolution.
The failure to reach a consensus in Paris appeared to validate the Trump administration’s skepticism about involving Europe in upcoming negotiations. U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg reiterated that past negotiations, such as the 2015 Minsk II accords, failed due to excessive involvement from multiple parties. He argued that new talks should be limited to Moscow and Kyiv, with Washington acting as the sole mediator.
Beyond political disagreements, logistical concerns also raise doubts about Europe’s ability to sustain a military deployment in Ukraine. Despite Prime Minister Starmer’s willingness to send British troops, former British Army chief Lord Richard Dannatt dismissed the idea as unrealistic. He noted that the UK’s current armed forces, with only 73,000 active personnel, are too small to sustain a long-term deployment. Dannatt estimated that at least 40,000 troops would be needed on a rotational basis, requiring an immediate increase in defense spending to at least 3 to 3.5 percent of GDP.
As divisions persist, European nations face growing pressure to clarify their role in Ukraine’s future while navigating Washington’s firm position on limiting direct European involvement in peace talks.
