The Emergency Paris Summit & Its Implications For Declining European Hegemony

At 4pm on the 17th of February, eleven European leaders met in Paris to discuss matters of “peace and security in Europe”. This was an emergency, informal summit called in response to Trump’s recent phone call with Putin, and his subsequent inclination towards a US-led accelerated negotiation deal between Ukraine and Russia, to end the ongoing conflict. In addition, the recent meeting on the 18th February between US Secretary of State and Russian Foreign Minister excluded any Ukrainian delegation. This further indicates Trump’s aspiration of a deal, but one spearheaded by a US-Russia relationship, rather than an equal negotiation between the two countries involved in the conflict. The US President Trump has signified a shift in political stance, by moving away from Biden’s previous isolationist approach towards Russia and warming political relations between the two states. Trump’s phone call with Russian President Putin has paved the way for a positive US-Russia relationship, for his second presidential term, as well as causing panic and alarm for both Ukraine and European Union.

The emergency summit in Paris was attended by both Presidents of the EU Commission and the EU Council, as well as the secretary general for NATO, which alludes to the importance of this summit. Attendance of EU leadership members reflects that the concerns about Trump’s warmer stance towards Russia are an evident, real threat requiring a supranational response from the EU, who have remained committed to supporting Ukraine. Ukraine’s exclusion from the negotiation table damages their chances of achieving a solution that they benefit from. Importantly, Ukraine remains at the forefront of the conflict and therefore should hold an integral position in negotiation. The US, by directly contacting Russia, further isolate Ukraine – a minor player in international politics. Ukrainian President Zelensky continues to emphasise that Ukraine will “never accept deals made behind our backs” and “without our involvement”, but this is dependent on Trump’s positioning, which is currently looking ill-fated for Ukraine.

However, Trump’s (new) alignment with Putin also presents a new challenge to European hegemony. The emergency summit occurred just five days after the telephone conversation between Trump and Putin (12th Februrary). This rushed summit implies the EU’s feeling of panic and apprehension towards Trump’s marked change in political stance, and the implications it will have for Europe’s position within the wider political dynamic.

Alluding to Europe’s diminishing role within negotiations, Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov admitted “I don’t know what they would be doing at the negotiating table”. This is supported by US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, who also outlined that Europe will not have a chair at the negotiating table. Positioning Europe as redundant in Russian/Ukrainian negotiations is a marked attempt to remove a significant player from the table of negotiation. This is surprising considering the contested status of Ukraine which at one point, was primed to become a member of NATO – an organisation predominately populated by European countries. Furthermore, Europe and the EU have consistently been involved with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, with a total of almost $73 billion in financial aid collectively from the EU and its member states. But, the agreement emerging out of the bilateral relationship between the US and Russia is that Europe’s role and importance, is diminished. The emergency summit, I argue, manifests this decline in European hegemony and importance in a new political world headed by the return to a bipolar system of the US and Russia.

To conclude, Trump’s phone call signifies a thawing US-Russian relationship, and has negative consequences for both Ukraine and Europe. Ukraine remains at risk of being excluded from negotiations, if Trump and Putin privately agree on a solution, which could ensure Ukraine do not benefit. For Europe, this thawing relationship threatens to diminish European hegemony and position of importance within international politics dynamics, as they are also excluded from the negotiating table. Whether the summit can provide a solution to these changing political dynamics remains to be seen, but it does spell out a new future for the global political economy heading in the direction of bipolarity once more between the US and Russia.