French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a Paris summit of European powers on Feb. 17 to discuss Ukraine's potential NATO membership, among other issues, The Guardian reported.
The summit will be held on the same day a U.S. delegation arrives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for talks with Russian officials on ending the war in Ukraine.
Macron is planning to convene European leaders to demand that the U.S. stop blocking Europe and Kyiv from the negotiation process, The Guardian reported.
The Paris meeting will discuss the defense capabilities that Europe could provide to Ukraine to ensure reliable security guarantees, including a plan for Ukraine's "automatic membership in NATO" in the event of Russia's clear ceasefire violation, the newspaper reported.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will attend the meeting.
Italy and Denmark, representing the Baltic and Scandinavian countries, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will also join the summit, the media reported citing undisclosed European diplomatic sources.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in talks between the U.S. and Russia. This will be the first meeting between the two countries at this level in the last two years.
Chris York
European leaders are concerned about the potential imposition of neutrality on Ukraine and joint U.S.-Russian powers' sharing of agreed-upon spheres of influence following the negotiations.
The summit will also have to determine how to respond to a U.S. request to clarify whether EU leaders are willing to contribute troops to a stabilization force in the event of a ceasefire, according to The Guardian.
Ukraine officially applied to join NATO in September 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion. While NATO members asserted at the 2024 summit in Washington, D.C., that Ukraine's path to membership is "irreversible," they have yet to extend a formal invitation.
Ukraine has relied on NATO member states for military aid in its defense against Russia's full-scale invasion. Ukraine regularly holds visits and summits with NATO leaders.
Elsa Court
