Saudis host Ukraine meeting without Ukraine, Moscow wants no NATO troops there
Summary
- U.S. and Russia talks end after 4.5 hours
- U.S. and Russia plan teams on Ukraine, to normalize relations
- Rubio says solution must work for Ukraine and EU
- Lavrov wants no NATO troops in Ukraine
- Ukraine and European leaders not present at Tuesday’s talks
- Zelenskiy insists no agreements without Ukrainian consent
- Read our roundup of the talks
European forces would struggle to guarantee Ukraine peace without US backing
Experts say that sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine might stretch and weaken NATO’s own defenses, and that the mission would still need U.S. support to succeed.
While U.S. boots on the ground may not be necessary, deterrence in the form of U.S. medium-range missiles and ultimately nuclear weapons will remain crucial.
“I’m not sure that any security guarantee will be 100% credible against an aggressive and nationalistic Putin unless it involves the Americans in some way,” said Mark Lyall Grant, Britain’s national security adviser during part of Trump’s first term.
Some experts also doubt whether European countries could quickly raise enough combat-ready troops, especially if they were asked to secure more than 2,000 km of contact line with Russia and Moscow’s ally Belarus.
Claudia Major, an analyst for the German SWP think tank, said assembling such a peace force was barely achievable for the Europeans on their own.
“The Europeans don’t have this mass at the moment unless they weaken their own defense or the planned defense of the Baltics, for example, which is obviously controversial,” Major said, adding that they lacked key capabilities in the areas of reconnaissance, air defense or targeting.
Poland says US has no intention of lowering troop numbers in eastern Europe
Polish President Andrzej Duda said he was assured in a meeting with Keith Kellogg, the U.S. envoy to Ukraine, that Washington had no intention of lowering troop numbers in eastern Europe
Europe’s options for paying for new defence needs
The EU is discussing how to finance a big increase in defence spending as the US looks to reduce its commitments to the continent.
With the European Commission estimating EU defence spending needs at 500 billion euros over the next 10 years, the solution is likely to include a combination of options, rather than a single one. Here are some of the ideas under discussion:
RELAXING EU SPENDING RULES
The Commission has said it will soon propose that defence spending be exempt from EU laws that put annual spending limits on governments to gradually lower their public debt and keep their budget deficits below 3% of GDP.
MONEY FROM THE EU’S NEXT LONG-TERM BUDGET FOR 2028-2034
The EU will start negotiating its next seven-year budget from July. The Commission believes that it should provide funds for EU defence projects and therefore that it should be bigger than the roughly 1% of EU gross national income, or 1.2 trillion euros, it is now.
MONEY FROM THE EU’S 2021-2027 BUDGET
The current seven-year EU budget has no proper funds designated for defence. But around one-third of it is earmarked to equalise the standards of living between regions in the 27-nation EU, and some of that cash could potentially be used for projects linked to defence.
NEW JOINT EU BORROWING
Since 2021, the EU has been jointly borrowing hundreds of billions of euros for grants and loans to EU governments for an economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. Some officials have argued that such joint EU borrowing could be repeated for defence.
Zelenskiy says he postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia
The visit has been postponed to March 10, he said.
When asked whether he planned to meet the US delegation in Saudi Arabia, Zelenskiy indicated that he wasn’t sure who’d left and who’d stayed, so preferred not to go. “I don’t want any coincidences: that’s why I’m not going to Saudi Arabia.”
Zelenskiy: No talks should be held behind Kyiv’s back
The Ukrainian president held a press conference with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.
Zelenskiy said Turkey and Europe should be involved in talks about ending the Russia-Ukraine war, and that negotiations should not take place without Ukraine.
Erdogan said he reiterated Turkey’s full support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. He added that Turkey would be an appropriate location for any possible peace talks. About the Russia-U.S. meeting in Riyadh today, Zelenskiy said, “We were not invited to this meeting, it was a surprise for us.”
Russia doesn’t want NATO troops in Ukraine
Yuliia Dysa and Olena Harmash
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said NATO membership for Ukraine was unacceptable as was the appearance of NATO member troops – even if they were operating there under a different flag.
“We explained to our colleagues today what President Putin has repeatedly stressed: that the expansion of NATO, the absorption of Ukraine by the North Atlantic alliance, is a direct threat to the interests of the Russian Federation, a direct threat to our sovereignty,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov delivers remarks in Riyadh
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the U.S. and Russia agreed to remove barrier to diplomatic missions between the two countries and agreed to appoint envoys as soon as possible.
There was also high interest in lifting barriers for economic cooperation, he said.