Leaders gather to discuss the Ukraine conflict and broader security concerns amidst rising global tensions.
On February 16, 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an emergency summit scheduled for Monday in Paris, aimed at convening leaders from key European nations to address pressing security issues related to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed the details of the meeting, asserting that such discussions are a regular occurrence among European leaders and should not be viewed as overly sensational.
The summit will feature representatives from Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark, as well as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, and the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his intention to participate, describing the current circumstances as critical for national security across Europe.
Meanwhile, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced that Prime Minister Donald Tusk will represent Poland at the summit and emphasized the urgency of addressing security challenges following recent communications between U.S. President
Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning peace negotiations over Ukraine.
Sikorski made these remarks during the Munich Security Conference, where he also discussed the implications of U.S. foreign policy on European security dynamics.
The emergency summit comes in the wake of significant developments on the diplomatic front, including a phone call between Trump and Putin that addressed a potential peace process, alongside an in-person meeting proposed to take place in Saudi Arabia.
According to reports, U.S. officials are set to travel to Saudi Arabia to initiate discussions regarding the Ukraine war.
Notably, the European Union has not received an invitation to these negotiations, and Ukrainian officials have reported being unaware of any delegations from their country traveling to Saudi Arabia for these discussions.
Starmer also highlighted the importance of strengthening Europe’s role within NATO to protect Ukraine's interests and counter perceived threats from Russia.
This emergency summit is part of ongoing talks among European leaders, aimed at navigating the challenges of international relations against the backdrop of evolving geopolitical tensions.