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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday he was ready to send British troops to Ukraine as part of any post-war peacekeeping force, seeking to show the United States that European nations should have a role in talks to end the conflict.
On Monday, Sweden signaled the same, albeit less forcefully.
Sweden “does not rule out” sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, its foreign minister said on Monday. “We must first negotiate now a just and lasting peace that respects international law (…) Once we have this peace, we will have to maintain it, and to do that, our government does not rule out anything,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer told Sveriges Radio.
US President Donald Trump announced bilateral talks with Putin last week to end the nearly three-year war in Ukraine, alarming European capitals that fear a deal could be struck without their involvement.
“If Trump really wants Europeans to take greater responsibility for their own security, then of course Europeans must be the key actor in designing the new security architecture,” Costa told the Financial Times. “It’s not just about Ukraine,” Costa said in an interview at the Munich Security Conference this weekend.
“Negotiations on the new security architecture must take into account that Russia is a global threat, not just a threat to Ukraine,” he added.
Trump’s Vice President, JD Vance, launched a frontal attack on European allies and democratic values at the Munich Conference, also mentioning the cancelled presidential elections in Romania.
On Saturday, Trump’s envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said European countries would not have “a seat at the table” in the negotiations, but that their views could be taken into account.
This came after the US sent a request for information to European capitals about the weapons, money and peacekeepers it could provide to post-conflict Ukraine, in what officials said was an opportunity to lobby for the right to influence the negotiations.
On Monday morning, Manuel Valls, a minister in the French government, warned that US-European relations were “at a turning point.”
“The negotiations are between belligerents,” EU Council President Costa said. “Of course, it is necessary to negotiate between Ukraine and Russia. But this war in Ukraine is not just about Ukraine. It is about European security,” he argued.
Costa did not elaborate on Europe’s security architecture. In the run-up to the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Putin called on NATO to reduce its presence in Eastern European states. NATO and its member states have refused to do so.
Costa cited Russia’s aggressive stance towards the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which are members of the EU and NATO, among other reasons why Brussels must participate in the talks.
“Russia is clearly a threat to Baltic sovereignty, on our eastern border,” he said.“They have a military presence in Moldova, in Georgia,” he added.
In his turn, Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary-General, said that if Europe wants to play a role in the talks, it needs to be clear about what it wants and what it can offer. “I was a little surprised by the European reaction, which said we need a seat at the table,” he told reporters in Munich. “If you want a seat at the table, make sure you come up with relevant proposals. Make sure you spend more, especially when it comes to Ukraine,” Rutte said.
Rubio: Details are premature
Asked by CBS about how he would support Ukraine’s position, Rubio said those details were “premature.” He also said European states would need to be involved in more serious discussions down the road, Politico notes. “We have to understand that there is no process at this point,” Rubio said.
“What we have now is a phone call between Putin and President Trump where both sides have expressed an interest in ending this conflict. If it’s real negotiations, and we’re not there yet, but if that were to happen, Ukraine would have to be involved, because they were the ones who were invaded,” Rubio said.
When asked why Romania was not invited to the Paris summit, Cristian Diaconescu explained that the meeting in Paris includes a group that has convened twice before and that “no decisions will be made regarding security, regional stability, the Eastern flank, or Romania in particular.”
“As far as I understand, the discussion will focus on Europe’s defensive capabilities provided for Ukraine, aiming to establish credible security guarantees. Additionally, there will be a plan for Ukraine to gain automatic NATO membership if the ceasefire agreement—expected to be reached soon—is violated by Russia,” said Cristian Diaconescu.
“What I want to emphasize is that this is an informal discussion, not a decision-making forum. Representatives from the Presidential Administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are in contact with our French partners and others. These discussions will continue, as this initiative comes from a working group formed some time ago. Participation is not necessarily essential, but a substantive stance is,” he continued.
Regarding Romania, the situation is evolving, and under no circumstances would Romania take part in anything that would divide Europe. “This topic is being overly dramatized. There have been similar groups before, including those concerning the Eastern flank,” Diaconescu stated.
He also emphasized Romania’s strong relationship with the United States: “The strategic partnership functions flawlessly. There is absolutely no indication of diminished American interest, including in Romania, under the Trump administration. Many other important topics, beyond public debate, are crucial for Romania’s security and stability, and the Presidential Administration in Bucharest supports these efforts.”
“I can assure you that developments will unfold in the coming days, but as is proper and appropriate, public communication will take place once events have occurred. It is natural to have certain expectations, but things will be communicated when the time is right,” Diaconescu added.
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Good! If EU is failing, then there are 2 distinct new Blocks forming. The ones assembling as above and the rest. We, the Rest can move independently and we donate the Baltics to the Others. Bye Bye.