Brussels - Paris: Europe and the Arabs
The European Union has issued a strong warning to all participants in the current efforts to hold a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The warning came in a statement distributed this morning in Brussels by the office of the European Union's foreign policy coordinator, Kaya Kallas, along with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Poland, Spain and Britain. The European warning came in emphasizing that Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations. Ukraine must be provided with strong security guarantees
The statement said: "We are ready to strengthen our support for Ukraine. We are committed to its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's war of aggression. We share the goal of continuing to support Ukraine until a just, comprehensive and lasting peace is achieved. A peace that guarantees Ukraine's interests and ours. We look forward to discussing the way forward with our American allies. Our common goals must be to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations. Ukraine must be provided with strong security guarantees. A just and lasting peace in Ukraine is a prerequisite for strong transatlantic security.
We remember that the security of the European continent is our shared responsibility. That is why we are working together to strengthen our collective defense capabilities.
The joint European statement came after a meeting in Paris that included the foreign ministers of Poland, Spain, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sipha said: "Europe plays a central role in ensuring a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, and our security is an integral part of European security."
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stressed that He arrived at the meeting saying that his country would continue to intensify its military support for Kiev, in addition to tightening sanctions on Russia. He also stressed the importance of cooperation with the United States, but indicated that Europe must make greater efforts to strengthen its defenses. "There is no better guarantee for the security of our continent than transatlantic cooperation, but Europe must do more to defend itself," he said. In turn, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated after the meeting that "a just and lasting peace in Ukraine will not be achieved without an effective European role.

At the same time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin and Trump agreed in the phone conversation to organize a personal meeting, and that the Russian president informed Trump that he was ready to receive Americans in the country.

In a related context, the new US Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth ruled out on Wednesday granting Ukraine NATO membership as a security guarantee to end the war, a demand that Kiev was seeking to strengthen its defensive position against Russia.

According to the European news network in Brussels "Euronews", the European ministerial meeting in Paris came as former US President Donald Trump announced upcoming talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

In a post on his platform "Truth Social", Trump revealed that he had held two calls with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, describing his call with the Russian president as "extensive and very productive".

He added that he had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are leading the negotiations, which he said he "really feels will be successful." The Kremlin confirmed the call between Putin and Trump, saying they agreed to meet soon to discuss ending military operations in Ukraine.