with Putin leaves Ukraine and Europe scrambling full news
European leaders together with Ukraine have expressed concern about Donald Trump’s strategy for ending terrorist activities in Ukraine. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin used a phone call on February 12, 2025 to reach agreement for starting expedited talks about ending the conflict. The sudden announcement lacked European alliance input as well as Ukrainian input resulting in worry about Russian concessions during talks.
The European leaders rushed to Paris in order to talk about the ongoing crisis. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed that American backing would be essential to form a European force for Ukrainian peacekeeping that would prevent Russian aggression. European security demands U.S. intervention while effective defense measures require American participation according to his statement.
In a press conference Mark Rutte endorsed President Trump’s initiative to halt the conflict before he voiced his disapproval of European nations’ weak participation in actual peace implementation. The official advised Europe to take responsible action instead of continuously voicing disappointment about lacking representative status at peace table dialogues.
Legitimacy issues arise because Ukraine was omitted from U.S.-Russia’s primary discussions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demonstrated intense opposition to the idea of foreign peace talks regarding Ukraine since his country needed to actively participate in all agreements. Zelenskyy made clear his belief that Ukraine must be part of every negotiation process about its future.
The complexities of international diplomacy combined with security interests of all parties make it challenging to find permitted solutions.
European Leaders React to U.S.-Russia Peace Talks Excluding Ukraine