PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron called leaders from key European Union nations and the United Kingdom to his ornate Elysee Palace on Monday for an emergency meeting on how to react to the U.S. diplomatic blitz on Ukraine, which left the once rock-solid partner as a potential political liability. Last week, top U.S. officials from the Trump administration made their first visit to Europe, leaving the impression that Washington was ready to embrace the Kremlin while it cold-shouldered many of its age-old European allies. Despite belligerent warnings for months ahead of Donald Trump’s reelection as U.S. president, EU leaders publicly ignored the ominous forebodings, hoping somehow that Trump would stand shoulder to shoulder with Europe while the continent would finally start to beef up .

The Trump administration’s first visit to Europe last week left the impression that Washington was ready to embrace the Kremlin while cold-shouldering many of its age-old European allies. Despite belligerent warnings for months ahead of Trump’s reelection, EU leaders publicly ignored the ominous forebodings, hoping that Trump would stand shoulder to shoulder with Europe.
But a flurry of comments by Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week questioned both Europe’s security commitments and its fundamental democratic norms. Macron said their caustic rebukes and warnings of non-cooperation in the face of military peril seemed like a shock to the system. The tipping point occurred when Trump opted to reverse years of US policy by meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the hopes of ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Then, on Saturday, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia effectively ruled out the presence of other Europeans in any Ukrainian peace negotiations.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called the week “an existential moment. It’s a moment where Europe has to stand up.”

That’s where Macron hopes to step in with Monday’s meeting.