France to host second summit on Ukraine, European security, Reuters reports
France plans to host another high-level meeting on Feb. 19 to discuss Ukraine and European security, expanding participation to countries left out of the initial summit, Reuters reported on Feb. 18, citing diplomatic sources.
French President Emmanuel Macron convened the first Paris summit on Feb. 17, bringing together leaders from Europe's largest nations and Britain, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and top EU officials.
The talks focused on Ukraine's security, its potential NATO membership, and Europe's broader defense strategy.
According to Reuters, Paris has now invited additional European countries and Canada to join the upcoming meeting, either in person or via video link.
The expanded guest list includes Norway, Canada, the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, Greece, Finland, Romania, Sweden, and Belgium.
The move follows recent U.S.-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia, marking the first direct talks between Washington and Moscow since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky postponed his planned visit to Saudi Arabia, reiterating that no decisions about Ukraine's future should be made without Kyiv's involvement.
The role of European nations in the negotiations with Russia remains unclear. Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, previously said that Europe would not be directly involved in the talks but assured that its interests would be considered.
