European leaders are set to gather in Paris next week for an emergency summit on the war in Ukraine, as Trump plans to deal with Putin in Saudi Arabia, without Ukraine or others in Europe, on peace talks.
French President Emmanuel Macron will host a summit on Monday to reportedly include Germany, Italy, Britain, Poland and Denmark. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer indicated late Saturday that he also plans to attend the emergency summit.
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) February 15, 2025
BREAKING: In an unprecedented move, French President Emmanuel Macron has called an emergency EU summit in Paris tomorrow.
EU leaders will convene to discuss a collective response to statements from Donald Trump and his team regarding a potential U.S. withdrawal from Ukraine… pic.twitter.com/j2vPwsSfeC
Europeans fear being cut out of a peace deal, and are under pressure on defense spending.
Keith Kellogg, the US special envoy on Ukraine, has insisted Kyiv will be involved with the US acting as mediator, and Europe consulted.
According to a document seen by Reuters, the US is asking European leaders which countries would be willing and able to deploy troops to Ukraine to defend a peace settlement, as well as what they need from the US in order to participate in security arrangements.
Trump has also proposed a deal for the US to take ownership of 50% of Ukraine’s critical minerals, as President Zelensky has proposed a possible agreement.
Ukraine has long been looking to develop its critical mineral industry and an agreement with the U.S. could provide the support needed for the capital intensive work of mineral extraction and processing.
Ukraine officials estimate the country is home to 20 out of the 50 critical raw materials, including titanium, lithium and zirconium.
On Saturday President Zelensky rejected a proposal that he said did not provide any specific security guarantees for his country.
During a town hall in Munich on Saturday, several US Senators discussed such a deal as a game-changer for Ukraine’s security.
Lindsey Graham said, “This minerals agreement between the United States and Ukraine is a game changer, because President Trump can go to the American people and say Ukraine is not a burden, it’s a benefit,” Graham said Saturday.
“If this minerals agreement happens it’s a nightmare for Putin, because we have something to defend that we didn’t have before,” he added.
