The Albany Gazette - Europeans must do more for collective security: French presidency

"Because of the acceleration of the Ukrainian issue, and as a result of what US leaders are saying, there is a need for Europeans to do more, better and in a coherent way, for our collective security," an adviser from President Emmanuel Macron's office said.

Key European leaders are to meet in Paris on Monday to discuss "the situation in Ukraine" and "security in Europe", according to the French presidency.

The heads of government of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark are expected at the meeting ahead of the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council representing the European Union's 27 nations, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO secretary General Mark Rutte will also be present.

US President Donald Trump blindsided Ukraine and its European backers last week by starting discussions on Russia's invasion in a call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The new US administration has also warned its NATO allies that Europe will no longer be its top security priority and that it may shift forces too as it switches focus to China.

The Kremlin has pushed for negotiations -- set to kick off in Saudi Arabia in coming days -- to discuss not just the Ukraine war as it nears a third anniversary but also broader European security.

That has sparked fears among European nations that Putin could revive demands he floated prior to the 2022 invasion aimed at limiting NATO forces in eastern Europe and US involvement on the continent.

- Russia back in G7 'unimaginable' -

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down expectations Sunday of any breakthrough at upcoming talks with Russian officials on ending the war in Ukraine.

"A process towards peace is not a one-meeting thing," he told the CBS network as the Munich Security Conference wrapped up.

"Nothing's been finalised yet," he said, adding that the aim was to seek an opening for a broader conversation that "would include Ukraine and would involve the end of the war".

Rubio is heading to Saudi Arabia on Monday, as part of a Middle East tour he started this weekend in Israel.

Trump last week also said he would "love" to have Russia back in the G7, from which it was suspended in 2014 after Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.

French Foreign Minister France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel said it was "unimaginable" for Russia to be welcomed back into the G7, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

"The G7 is the group of the most advanced great democracies," he said. Yet Russia "behaves less and less like a democracy and unabashedly attacks other G7 members".

- European 'input' -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had on Saturday called for the creation of a European army, arguing the continent could no longer count on Washington.

Zelensky said there should be "no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine" or "about Europe without Europe".

Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, on Saturday said Europe would not be directly involved in talks on Ukraine, though it would still have an "input".

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has appeared to rule out Ukraine joining NATO or retaking all of its territory lost since 2014.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, whose country shares a 1,300-kilometre (800 mile) border with Russia, said on Sunday that talks between the United States and Russia over the Ukraine war must not rewrite European security.

"There's no way in which we should open the door for this Russian fantasy of a new, indivisible security order," he said.

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(O.Robinson--TAG)