French President Emmanuel Macron (third from left) and other French officials hosting a closed-door meeting of European and Nato allies, as well as Japan and Australia, on how to guarantee Ukraine’s security.PHOTO: REUTERS
PARIS/QUEBEC – More than 30 army chiefs among Washington’s closest allies met in Paris on March 11 without their US counterparts, seeking to take on more responsibility over the war in Ukraine given President Donald Trump’s unpredictability and rapprochement with Moscow.
The closed-door gathering of 34 army chiefs, including Nato alliance and EU members as well as Japan and Australia, was a rare – and possibly unprecedented – convening without the US.
The talks aimed in part to assess options and capabilities to guarantee Ukraine’s security in the event of a ceasefire, including potential European peacekeepers, and to maintain Kyiv’s long-term military strength.
“The political message is we can do it together and without the United States, but …