In a rapid and drastic departure from years of foreign policy, Top U.S. officials are headed to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russian envoys to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine was not invited to the talks, and already president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the country will not accept the result of talks they were not involved in.
The announcement has sent Europe into a tizzy, with broad concerns about European security. French President Emmanuel Macron called for an emergency summit in Paris, with leaders from Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, the UK, as well as heads of European institutions and NATO. Discussions among select European leaders will focus on defense strategies, support for Kyiv, and the potential deployment of European troops after a ceasefire.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a comment on X, asserted that “Europe’s security is at a turning point” and called for a strengthened European defense strategy independent of U.S. influence.
Just arrived in Paris for crucial talks.
Europe’s security is at a turning point.
Yes, it is about Ukraine—but it is also about us.
We need an urgency mindset.
We need a surge in defense.
And we need both of them now.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 17, 2025
In Greece, some officials have expressed concern about not being offered a seat at the European table, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was not invited.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis downplayed the significance of Greece’s exclusion, stating, “We are talking about an informal summit in which the largest economies in Europe plus Denmark, which had the largest contribution to military aid to Ukraine, participate.” He insisted that binding decisions on European defense policies would only be made at the European Council level and reaffirmed Greece’s commitment to Ukraine’s defense.
However, opposition voices in Greece have strongly criticized the government for allowing the country to be sidelined in key geopolitical negotiations. According to SYRIZA leader Socratis Famellos, the absence of Greece from the Paris summit is indicative of a broader failure of foreign policy under the Mitsotakis administration.
“The exclusion of Greece from the European Summit on Ukraine taking place today in Paris […] demonstrates yet again how the government’s approach of being a ‘given ally’ to the U.S. has isolated the country. This policy, particularly regarding Ukraine, has reduced Greece from a supposed ‘regulator of geopolitical developments’ to a mere observer,” Famellos stated in a tweet. He further argued that the government’s approach, including sending military aid to Ukraine without parliamentary transparency, has weakened Greece’s ability to play a leading diplomatic role.
