By Jacob Burg
Europe will not be included in peace talks for Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy said on Feb. 15 after sending a questionnaire to European capitals asking what they could offer in security guarantees for Kyiv.
On Feb. 16, the French government stated it will host a summit of European leaders on Feb. 17 to discuss the Russia–Ukraine war and European security after retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, did not include Europe in negotiations over Ukraine’s future following years of war with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron “will convene the main European countries to discuss European security,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told France Inter radio. Barrot described the meeting as a working session and emphasized that it should not be “overdramatized.”
The office of the French presidency has not yet announced the meeting.
Macron has invited at least the UK; Germany; Poland; Italy; Denmark, representing the Baltic and Scandinavian countries; the European Union leadership; and the NATO secretary-general, according to six European diplomats. They said the purpose of the meeting is to discuss what immediate help can be given to Ukraine and the role Europe can play in providing both security guarantees to Kyiv and Europe at large.
Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin last week before consulting European or Ukrainian leaders, saying peace talks had begun.
The Trump administration is pushing European allies in NATO to take a primary role in security guarantees for the region as the United States prioritizes border security and counters Chinese political and military influence.
At a global security conference in Munich, Kellogg said the United States would act as an intermediary in talks between Ukraine and Russia.
“I’m from a school of realism,” Kellogg said, regarding Europe having a seat at the table during negotiations. “I think that’s not going to happen.”
Trying to reassure Europeans, Kellogg said it does not mean their “interests are not considered, used, or developed.”
Some European leaders pushed back on being sidelined for talks.
“There’s no way in which we can have discussions or negotiations about Ukraine, Ukraine’s future or European security structure, without Europeans,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb told reporters in Munich.
“But this means that Europe needs to get its act together. Europe needs to talk less and do more.”
The questionnaire Kellogg sent to Europeans “will force Europeans to think,” Stubb said.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte urged Europeans to get involved.
“And to my European friends, I would say, get into the debate, not by complaining that you might, yes or no, be at the table, but by coming up with concrete proposals, ideas, ramp up defense spending,” he said.
Kellogg said territorial concessions from Russia and ways to target its oil revenues could be discussed in the talks over ending the war between it and Ukraine.
“Russia is really a petro-state,” he said, adding that the West needs to do more to adequately enforce sanctions against Russia.
U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days for continued peace talks, according to Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas). After meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Feb. 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his nation was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia and that Kyiv would consult with strategic partners before engaging with Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia, McCaul said.
The talks are meant to arrange a meeting among Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy to “finally bring peace and end this conflict,” he said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
