Good morning from Warsaw. French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk discussed Ukraine’s ‘day-after’ question and the idea of providing Kyiv with security guarantees against Russia, a diplomat told Euractiv’s Théo Bourgery-Gonse. While a number of issues were on the table, there was little in the way of concrete outcomes. The issue of sending troops in the context of a ceasefire was raised, but Tusk said that for now, “we are not planning such actions.”
Some Europeans recently floated the idea of sending peacekeeping forces, although heavyweight Germany remains reluctant, making it clear it doesn’t want to become a “party to the war.” What is certain for the two leaders is that Ukrainians will decide when peace talks can start, and they must always be sitting at the negotiating table. An EU diplomat representing an eastern European state recently told Euractiv that incoming US President Donald Trump wants an immediate ceasefire but doesn’t want Washington to be engaged in the region, meaning there is room for the Europeans to deal with the next day, or rather, pick up the pieces. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called on the Alliance members to switch to a “wartime mindset” as “we are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years”. “We are going to need a lot more than 2% (…), but let me be frank, if you would only spend more and not spend better, you have to go to at least 4%, OK?” Rutte said. | 