Macron to Host EU Leaders in Paris Amidst Ukraine Security Concerns

French President Emmanuel Macron will convene EU leaders in Paris on July 17, according to Reuters, as confirmed by French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. British Labour Leader Keir Starmer is also expected to attend the European summit, with plans to then travel to the United States, The Guardian reports. Discussions at the Paris summit on July 17 are anticipated to address U.S. efforts to exclude European leaders from peace negotiations, Europe's stance on Ukraine's potential NATO membership, and security guarantees that Europe could offer Ukraine. On July 15, Downing Street confirmed ongoing discussions about a planned summit, with officials exploring Starmer's participation and subsequent travel to Washington for meetings with President Donald Trump in the near future. Reports in the British press suggest that in addition to Starmer, the NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and leaders from Germany, Italy, and Poland will also be among those invited by Macron to Paris. Earlier, Keir Starmer stated that Europe should play a larger role in NATO, emphasizing that "we work with the U.S. on ensuring the security of Ukraine and protecting against aggression from Russia." He stated London is working to ensure unity between the U.S. and Europe. "We cannot allow any divisions in the Alliance to weaken us against external enemies that we face," the British Prime Minister noted. At the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Special Envoy for Ukrainian and Russian Affairs, Keith Kellogg, stated that Washington would not bargain with Europe over Ukraine. According to him, the U.S. does not want to repeat the mistakes of the Minsk agreements, which had many participants in the process but little result. Washington is ready to sit down with representatives of both sides of the conflict, Russia and Ukraine, and one mediator - the USA. At the same time, he assured that the interests of Europe in the negotiation process will be taken into account. The Guardian notes that the speed with which Macron seeks to unite European leaders indicates a growing concern in Europe that the U.S. is attempting to both control the process and exclude European governments from any detailed negotiations between the U.S. and Russia.