Macron convenes European leaders for Ukraine summit amid tension with US
Macron convenes European leaders for Ukraine summit amid tension with US
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Paris meeting aims to devise action plan for Ukraine’s future as US and Russian delegates prepare to meet
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Emmanuel Macron will host a Paris summit of European defence powers on Monday to try to retake the initiative and demand the US ends its lockout of Europe from talks on Ukraine’s future.
With the US and Russia due to send high-powered delegations for talks in Riyadh this week – the first such meetings in two years – there are fears in Europe that Russia will relaunch its plan for imposed Ukrainian neutrality and a joint US-Russia carve-up with agreed spheres of influence.
Ukraine and many of its closest European allies believe Vladimir Putin wants to make a recasting of the postwar order his precondition for a ceasefire.
France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, told France Inter radio on Sunday: “The president will bring together the main European countries tomorrow for discussions on European security,” although he declined to say which countries would take part and said the meeting should not be “over-dramatised”.