Several European leaders meet this Monday, February 17 in Paris on Monday, February 17, at the invitation of Emmanuel Macron, to discuss European security and help to bring to Ukraine, including the sending of military troops.
The time is an emergency in Europe. While Donald Trump has launched, alone, negotiations with Russia to put an end to the war in Ukraine, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and the European countries fear being kept away from the exchanges. The main European forces therefore decided to meet at the Elysée in the afternoon of this Monday, February 17, on an initiative by Emmanuel Macron. A meeting that wants to be an answer to the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin planned in Saudi Arabia “very soon” according to Washington.
“The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron will bring together the main European countries to discuss the subject. It is a working meeting. We must not dramatize this type of meeting. They are very frequent,” said Jean-Noël Barrot, the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the microphone of France Inter Sunday evening. On the discussion menu: the help to be given to Ukraine and the measures to be taken for the security of Europe. “The objective is to determine what Europeans can do for themselves given the acceleration that we live in Ukraine as a result of President Trump’s initiatives,” said an advisor to Emmanuel Macron, deeming necessary Make “more and better”.
The European Summit in emergency will not bring together the 27 member countries, but the main military forces. “The heads of government of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark” will be present, the Danish leader will represent all the Baltic countries On the front line because of their border with Russia. The president of the European Council, the president of the European Commission and the secretary general of NATO “, will also sit at the table.
France and the United Kingdom ready to send troops to Ukraine
Europe seeks to regain its role as a mediator in negotiations to end the Ukrainian conflict, but it also has every interest in being a decisive actor in the war and the post-war period to protect its own borders. If European forces have already provided many military aid, some are planning to do more to face Russia, starting with the United Kingdom which does not spread the sending of troops to Ukrainian soil. “We are ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees for Ukraine by sending our own troops on the ground if necessary,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in the daily Daily Telegraph.
A statement that could bring the subject of the massive sending of European troops to Ukraine on the table. Emmanuel Macron had already mentioned this possibility at the beginning of 2024, creating an outcry among other European countries including Germany and Poland. But since then, the sending of troops envisaged by France and the United Kingdom has been seriously considered behind the scenes as reports Euronews. But nothing has yet been done: the subject continues to divide and some European countries must obtain green fires from their national authorities before committing. Due to the details of the project concerning the type of forces to be sent and their number are still vague at this stage and would greatly depend on the terms of the peace agreement which could be concluded.
But the Ukrainian president, who regularly asks for human or material help and reinforcements for his army, encourages Europe not to wait to send troops. He goes so far as to warn an attack on Russia against NATO in the face of Europe is disadvantaged. In such a scenario, European forces would have an interest in benefiting from the experience of the Ukrainian army which is “alone in Europe [avec] A real experience of modern war “. In his previous requests, the Ukrainian President mentioned contingents of 100,000 to 150,000 soldiers, while the media were rather on 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers. confirmed none of these figures.
“A wind of unity blows on Europe”
The emergency summit should not be limited to the question of sending troops, it must more broadly blow “a wind of unity”, underlines Jean-Noël Barrot: “We must distribute the roles to achieve objectives Communs: the security of Ukraine, Europe, the North Atlantic and therefore of the United States. ” The issue of investments in each European country in its means of defense must be addressed has considered the Minister of Foreign Affairs in The Parisian. For the moment, it is slightly greater than 2%. “In the 1950s, we devoted more than 4% to our defense. We will have to do more. National defense is not played only in military spending but also in minds. My mission is that we were collectively preparing for these efforts, “said the Minister of Foreign Affairs.