Lawrence J. Haas
Panicked by President Trump’s decision not to invite Europe to the table as his team discusses Russia-Ukraine peace with top Russian officials, French president Emmanuel Macron convened a meeting in Paris last Monday with British, German, and other European leaders to decide how to respond.
However, as European leaders chatted at the Elysee Palace, the rifts that plague Europe when it seeks a united front on military, diplomatic, or economic matters were already apparent. On the one hand, British prime minister Keir Starmer said he’d consider sending troops to Ukraine to guarantee its security after a peace agreement. On the other hand, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the idea “premature” and “highly inappropriate.” Polish officials also dismissed the idea of a Polish military role in Ukraine.
The differences between European leaders over a joint military presence in Ukraine and broader matters related to Trump’s diplomatic overtures to Russia highlight the perils of assuming that Europe has the political wherewithal to, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged the other day, “lead from the front.”
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