Bavaria Crisis summit in Paris: Will Europe find an answer to Trump?
"Consultations on the situation in Ukraine and security issues in Europe" - at first glance, the topic of the meeting of European heads of state and government in Paris does not sound very exciting.
17.02.2025, 05:09
SDA
However, the events of the past few days make it clear that it is nothing more than a crisis summit. The most important points at a glance:
What is the summit about?
The main topic is the question of how Europe should react to the drastic change of course in US Ukraine policy. The aim is to force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war and to transfer responsibility for securing a peace deal to the Europeans.
To this end, Berlin and other European capitals recently received a request to report possible contributions to security guarantees for Ukraine. According to the German press agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the countries should indicate, among other things, how many soldiers they could send to Ukraine for a peacekeeping force or training programs after the end of the Russian war of aggression. Weapons systems and the question of what is expected of the USA will also be discussed.
At the same time, the Europeans must decide how they want to deal with the fact that the Americans do not see a central role for them in the negotiation process - and are demanding concessions from Ukraine without agreement. In order to facilitate an end to the Russian war of aggression, the US believes that Ukraine should give up its ambitions to join NATO quickly and accept that part of its territory will remain permanently under Russian control.
Who will be at the meeting?
In addition to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the heads of state and government of the UK, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark are expected to attend. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Council President António Costa and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will also be present. The host is French President Emmanuel Macron.
Why is the summit being held in Paris and not, for example, in Berlin?
As has often been the case in times of crisis, Macron is taking the initiative to act as the driving force and moderator for a possible solution on the international stage. Almost a year ago, he caused a stir in the Ukraine conflict with the idea of stationing ground troops there. And on the occasion of the rededication of Notre Dame Cathedral shortly before Christmas, he managed to bring Trump and Zelensky to the table in Paris for initial talks on ending the war.
Shortly before this, Macron had attracted attention with an initiative for an international military contingent in Ukraine to secure a possible ceasefire. Details of the Paris initiative for peacekeeping troops were not disclosed. A troop presence for military training programs for the Ukrainian armed forces was also conceivable. These could also represent a security guarantee for Ukraine, which is now being discussed in Paris.
What could come out of the meeting?
Ideally, the European heads of state and government will agree on a joint strategy for dealing with the new US administration and its ideas for a solution to the war in Ukraine. In concrete terms, this should be about what offers can be made to Trump - and what the red lines are. However, no public announcements - for example on the possible size of a European troop contingent for Ukraine - are expected. The EU Commission said that Monday's talks would then be continued in other formats - with the aim of bringing together all partners interested in peace and security in Europe.
Why was the summit organized at such short notice?
The decisive factor was pressure from the USA, which wants to organize top-level talks with the Russians in Saudi Arabia in the near future. If the Europeans want to keep open the opportunity to influence the negotiations, they must have a common position by then. NATO Secretary General Rutte expressly welcomed the initiative at the Munich Security Conference. He said he was very happy that the meeting was taking place.
US President Donald Trump reiterated his view on Sunday that Vladimir Putin is interested in stopping the fighting. "I think he wants to end it", said Trump. Like his foreign minister Marco Rubio before him, Trump said that Ukraine would be involved in the talks for a possible peace.
Why aren't all EU states involved immediately?
One reason may be that it is much more efficient to work in small groups than in large ones. It is also conceivable that the presence of Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was not desired. The right-wing nationalist politician is considered a fan and close confidant of Trump.
