KASSEL, Germany (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to see a strong and sovereign Europe, he said on Monday, ahead of hastily arranged talks in Paris following signals that the United States is no longer seeking Europe’s input on ending the Ukraine conflict.
Scholz will join the leaders of France, Britain, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands as well as top officials from NATO and the European Union to discuss changes to the U.S. approach to Ukraine and risks to European security.
“We have to make sure that Europe overcomes the challenges of the future in a strong and sovereign manner and with its back straight,” Scholz told reporters on the sidelines of an election campaign event in Kassel, ahead of his departure for the French capital.
“I am certain that we will be able to develop a clear position,” Scholz said.
A German government spokesperson told reporters that no concrete outcomes were expected from the meeting.
Addressing the question of whether German troops could be deployed for a possible future peace mission in Ukraine, Scholz stressed the importance of a strong Ukrainian army.
“This will be a great task for Europe, for the U.S. and international alliance partners,” the German leader said, adding that future questions on security architecture would be addressed in due course.
“If the framework is given, Germany will not shy away,” a defence ministry spokesperson told a press conference in Berlin on the issue of ground troops.
(Reporting by Timm Reichert in Kassel, additional reporting by Andreas Rinke and Rachel More in Berlin, editing by Thomas Seythal and Hugh Lawson)
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