European leaders are to continue talks on US president Donald Trump’s efforts to push for a settlement to end the Ukraine war, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin among those taking part.
Earlier this week French president Emmanuel Macron organised an emergency meeting, bringing together the leaders of Europe’s biggest defence powers, France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain and Poland.
The prime ministers of Denmark and the Netherlands also attended the meeting in Paris, as did European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
The small group debated how Europe could make sure it was not left out of future talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine, aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine. Proposals floated publicly by British prime minister Keir Starmer included the UK and others providing peacekeeping troops to ensure any peace deal lasted.
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A second meeting including most other EU states and Canada is taking place on Wednesday, with many leaders tuning into the discussion remotely.
Mr Martin said the meeting, which he is to attend by by video call, would consider “how best we can continue to support Ukraine and how we can ensure a just, sustainable, and durable peace”.
The impetus for the crisis talks between European leaders has been discussions this week between high level US and Russian officials about ending the Ukraine war.
Mr Trump has indicated he wants a quick settlement between Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy says his country would need security guarantees from the US, protecting Ukraine from any future attack by Russia.
Speaking after 4½ hours of talks in Riyadh on Tuesday, US secretary of state Marco Rubio announced a four-part agreement with Russia to guide the re-establishment of contacts that discontinued after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which began Europe’s biggest war in 80 years.
Both Ukraine and the European Union were left out of the initial talks, sparking alarm in Kyiv and many EU capitals.
Following on from the meetings organised by Mr Macron, discussions have begun about potentially convening a formal emergency summit of all 27 EU leaders, which would have the power to take decisions.
European Council president António Costa, who chairs the regular leaders' summits in Brussels, is believed to be taking soundings from national capitals. “The decision on the next steps will be taken on the basis of these consultations,” an EU official briefed on the plans said.
The aim of holding a European Council summit would be to come to an agreement on committing further support to Ukraine, as well as discussing possible security guarantees EU states could offer Kyiv in the event of any peace deal.
