Paris/Riyadh, Feb 17, 2025 – High-stakes diplomacy is unfolding as senior U.S. and Russian officials head to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at ending the Ukraine war. The meeting, initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, has sparked tensions across Europe, with key leaders expressing frustration over being sidelined from the negotiations.
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French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency summit in Paris on Monday, urging European nations to ramp up defense spending in response to the U.S.’s unilateral move. The meeting exposed deep divisions, particularly on the prospect of deploying European peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emerged as the strongest advocate for a peacekeeping mission but insisted on U.S. security guarantees before committing British forces. “There must be a U.S. commitment for European countries to put boots on the ground,” Starmer stated, though he refrained from specifying troop numbers.
The proposal triggered skepticism among other European leaders. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ruled out a German deployment, insisting, “There can be no peace deal without Ukraine’s consent.” Instead, he argued that EU fiscal rules should be relaxed to accommodate higher military spending without penalties for budget deficits.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also opposed the peacekeeping idea, calling it “the most complex and perhaps the least effective” of the options on the table. Meanwhile, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen signaled openness to troop deployment, warning that “Russia is threatening all of Europe now.”
Push for Higher Defence Spending
With European arsenals depleted by continuous arms shipments to Ukraine, leaders debated how to finance a military buildup. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk echoed Scholz’s call to exempt defense spending from EU deficit rules, saying, “There is confirmation that defense spending will no longer be treated as excessive, preventing the risk of sanctions.”
Trump-Putin Talks in Saudi Arabia Stir Controversy
As European leaders deliberated, senior U.S. and Russian officials arrived in Riyadh for Tuesday’s U.S.-Russia negotiations, the highest-level direct talks between the two nations in years.
On the U.S. side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the upcoming summit. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov.
While the U.S. State Department framed the meeting as an opportunity to gauge Russia’s sincerity about peace, the Kremlin emphasized a broader agenda, stating that discussions would focus on “restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations.”
Ukraine Rejects Talks Held Without It
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed the negotiations, asserting that any deal made without Kyiv’s involvement would be illegitimate. Meanwhile, Russia has ruled out territorial concessions, dimming hopes for a breakthrough.
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, announced plans to visit Kyiv for three days following the Saudi talks, further signaling that Washington is navigating a delicate balancing act between diplomacy with Russia and maintaining support for Ukraine.
What’s Next?
With European leaders divided, Ukraine excluded, and the U.S. charting its own course, the fate of the war remains uncertain. The coming days will determine whether Trump’s diplomatic gamble leads to a breakthrough—or deepens fractures between the West and its allies.
