Europe’s leaders have convened an urgent security summit in Paris, scrambling to forge a unified strategy on defence spending and Ukraine’s future amid escalating U.S. disengagement. Excluded from U.S.-Russian negotiations over Ukraine, European power brokers are under pressure to set aside internal political and economic rifts and present a consolidated front—potentially even committing troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire—to secure a coveted seat at the negotiating table.
Key players from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark (representing the Baltic and Nordic nations) are at the helm of this high-stakes meeting. Their ambitious agenda includes ramping up domestic defence expenditures, coordinating within NATO, and spearheading Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction efforts. Amid mixed messages from the Trump administration and lingering transatlantic tensions, European leaders are determined to prove their indispensability as global security partners.
Yet, daunting questions remain: How many troops will each country commit, under whose command, and with what mandate? As domestic challenges loom and the spectre of an emboldened Putin casts a long shadow, this Paris summit could mark a pivotal turning point in Europe’s quest to reshape its security architecture—ensuring that if the U.S. steps back, Europe is prepared to stand resolute on the world stage.
