European leaders on Thursday spoke to US President Donald Trump after holding a summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky on security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace accord to end Russia’s three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine.
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The guarantees by the so-called coalition of the willing, which remain under wraps but are expected to include ramped-up training for the Ukrainian army and deployment of troops by some European states, have angered Russia.
They form part of a push led by French President Emmanuel Macron to show that Europe can act independently of Washington after Trump upended US foreign policy and launched direct talks to Russian leader Vladimir Putin after returning to the White House.
The summit, co-chaired by Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, aimed to firm up plans on security guarantees for Ukraine if or when there is a ceasefire and get a clearer picture of US involvement.
The United States was represented at the talks by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who also met with Zelensky separately.
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Some of the leaders, such as Zelensky, attended in person while others, including Starmer, attended remotely. The call with Trump took place by videoconference.