BRUSSELS, Belgium – European leaders are scrambling to respond to reports that the United States is advancing peace talks with Russia over the war in Ukraine—without direct European involvement.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to attend an emergency summit in Paris next week, amid concerns that Washington is sidelining Europe in negotiations that could reshape the continent’s security landscape.
The summit, called by French President Emmanuel Macron, has yet to be officially announced.
However, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski confirmed the meeting, warning that Europe must be prepared to respond to shifting US policies under President Donald Trump.
The urgency follows revelations that senior US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are preparing to meet Russian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.
Special envoy Keith Kellogg defended the decision to limit participation, arguing that previous attempts at negotiations failed due to “too many parties being involved.”
His remarks have raised alarm across Europe and in Kyiv, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insists his country has not been formally invited to participate—contradicting US claims.
Zelensky, speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, condemned any peace deal made “behind our backs without our involvement.”
He also called for the creation of an “army of Europe,” pointing to US Vice-President JD Vance’s speech at the conference as evidence that the transatlantic relationship is changing.
For many European leaders, the prospect of a US-Russia deal echoes the failed Minsk agreements of 2015, when France and Germany brokered a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine that ultimately collapsed.
Starmer, who sees his role as bridging the gap between the US and Europe, warned that this moment is critical for European security.
“This is a once-in-a-generation moment for our national security,” he said, adding that Europe must “take on a greater role in NATO” and ensure unity with the US to “secure Ukraine’s future and face down the threat from Russia.”
Starmer is expected to discuss European leaders’ concerns directly with Trump when he visits Washington at the end of the month.
A follow-up meeting between European leaders and Zelensky is anticipated once he returns.
The crisis was triggered by Trump’s surprise announcement earlier this week that he had spoken at length with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that peace negotiations would begin “immediately.”
The call ended more than three years of direct silence between Moscow and Washington and revived memories of Trump’s 2018 Helsinki summit with Putin, where he controversially downplayed Russian election interference.
Trump’s administration is now pushing for talks in Saudi Arabia that would include Ukraine, though doubts remain over Zelensky’s participation.
US Representative Michael McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, suggested the goal is a direct meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelensky to “finally bring peace and end this conflict.”
The developments have reignited long-standing concerns in European capitals about their reliance on US leadership in security matters.
Vance, speaking in Munich, warned that Europe must “step up in a big way” to provide for its own defense.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy echoed the sentiment, saying, “Putin will not go away,” and urging European nations to increase defense spending beyond NATO’s 2% GDP target.
