European leaders warn against Ukraine ceasefire without Russian peace deal

European leaders have said they are ready to give Ukraine security guarantees and warned that it would be dangerous for Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire without a negotiated peace agreement in place with Moscow, officials said.

The offer of a European security commitment to Ukraine was made at a meeting in Paris on Monday, called by French President Emmanuel Macron after United States President Donald Trump excluded European allies and Kyiv’s leadership from negotiations, due to take place in Saudi Arabia, with Russia on a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

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“Ready and willing. That’s my take from today’s meeting in Paris. Europe is ready and willing to step up. To lead in providing security guarantees for Ukraine,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in a post on social media after the emergency meeting.

“The details will need to be decided but the commitment is clear,” Rutte said.

A European Union official said after the meeting that the leaders were “ready to provide security guarantees, with modalities to be examined with each party, depending on the level of American support”.