Ukraine not attending US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, government source tells BBC – BBC.com
Source: BBC News
As European leaders meet in Paris for an emergency summit on Ukraine, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk says he will urge officials to “immediately” boost defence spending
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says there’s no role for Europe in any peace talks, suggesting Europe wants the war to continue
Lavrov was speaking before heading to Saudi Arabia for talks on Ukraine with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio – read Steve Rosenberg’s analysis here
Ukraine’s President Zelensky is also in Saudi this week, but says he’s not involved in the US-Russia talks
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he’s ready to put UK peacekeeping troops in Ukraine if and when the war ends
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – Zelensky says at least 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed defending the country, while at least three civilians were killed on Sunday
Edited by Emily McGarvey and James Harness, with Liza Fokht reporting from Ãlysée Palace in Paris
As we’ve reported, Emmanuel Macron is currently hosting European leaders in the Elysee Palace for an emergency summit on Ukraine.
The French president also spoke with US President Donald Trump ahead of the meeting, according to a French presidency official.
Earlier today, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters at an election campaign event of the need for a “strong Ukrainian army” when asked whether German troops could be deployed for a potential future peace mission in Ukraine.
“How can peace be guaranteed without decisions being taken over the heads of Ukrainians? It is quite clear to me that the focus must be on a very strong Ukrainian army, even in times of peace,” the chancellor said.
“This will be a major task for Europe, the United States and international allies.”
He says that there will be “no question of European troops in Ukraine” as long as there is a war, adding that future questions about the security architecture will be discussed “when the time comes”.
Scholz is one of a number of European leaders gathering in Paris today for an emergency summit to discuss the war in Ukraine. We’ll bring you the latest from that meeting as details emerge.
Denmark will be the only Nordic nation at Monday’s meeting in Paris. But it will, in a way, also be representing the interests of its Baltic neighbours to the east â Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania â all of whom border Russia and feel particularly vulnerable to any future Putin attack.
The shockwaves generated by the second Trump term have already been reverberating around Denmark.
President Trump’s renewed desire to take over Greenland â an autonomous Danish dependent territory – propelled Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on a whistle-stop tour of European allies last month to shore up support.
In Paris, Frederiksen finds herself once again in a hastily-convened meeting to respond to Trump’s reshaping of the transatlantic security landscape.
The Danish PM has not yet followed in Starmer’s footsteps of pledging peacekeeping boots on the ground in Ukraine.
Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen has been quoted by Danish media as saying he is not ruling it out â but that it is too early to talk about.
As we’ve just reported, European leaders have begun arriving at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
We can bring you more images of them being greeted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with Macron
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen with Macron
Liza FokhtBBC Russian service, reporting from Paris
European leaders have arrived at the Elysée Palace for impromptu talks on Ukraine.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was one of the first leaders to arrive. President Emmanuel Macron greeted Starmer with a brief exchange, asking how he was.
After that, other delegates attending the emergency meeting arrived, heading up the steps of the palace in front of us.
They were received with a guard of honour by the French military.
European leaders have begun arriving at the Elysee Palace in Paris for the impromptu summit.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is among those who has just arrived.
We can bring you more from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk now.
Speaking to reporters earlier, he said he would urge European leaders at today’s meeting in Paris to “immediately” boost Europe’s defences.
This is because Europe “is not able to counter Russia’s military potential” and they need to “catch up”, Tusk explained.
“We will not be able to effectively help Ukraine if we do not immediately take practical steps regarding our own defence capabilities,” Tusk told reporters, before flying to Paris.
In a post online after his comments, Tusk wrote that if Europe fails to spend on defence now, they will “be forced to spend 10 times more if we donât prevent a wider war”.
We reported earlier that Tusk ruled out sending troops from his country to Ukraine, but said he will continue to support them.
Before becoming Polish p
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