The traditional Western world leaders are meeting in Paris with short notice, after a week where the USA in many ways pulled the rug from under them with clear stances at the security conference in Munich.
France's President Emmanuel Macron is hosting and receiving leaders from Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark, as well as the EU and NATO.
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk says he will urge the European leaders to "immediately" strengthen Europe's defense and warned that it does not match Russia's.
We will not be able to help Ukraine effectively if we do not immediately take measures regarding our own defense capabilities. If Europe, as it is today, cannot counter Russia's military potential, then we must catch up immediately, says Tusk.
"New determination"
The United Kingdom and Sweden do not rule out sending soldiers to a potential peacekeeping mission in the future. Sweden, however, is not attending the meeting in Paris and is formally represented by Denmark.
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen says in a statement that she sees a new European determination and that it is a force that is needed:
"We must increase military support to Ukraine, we must produce more and we must do it faster. And we must remove the restrictions on the Ukrainians' use of weapons so that they can actually defend themselves against the Russians without having an arm twisted behind their back. A ceasefire must not lead to Russian rearmament followed by new Russian attacks."
"Realistic" concessions
In a week, it will be three years since Russia launched a large-scale attack on its neighboring country. USA's President Donald Trump has promised to put an end to the raging war in no time.
Trump has turned directly to the sanctioned Vladimir Putin. Already on Tuesday, American and Russian delegations are said to meet in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine, the EU, and other allies are looking on. Where the starting point has long been that Russia's war of aggression should not be allowed to tear apart the rule-based world order, the USA is now talking about the need for "realistic" concessions.
Many experts are wondering if it can be a real peace or rather a compromise-filled ceasefire that the USA expects someone else to keep an eye on. Many are also wondering if Russia is willing to compromise.
