[direwolf]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ty-2025-03-11/

PARIS/QUEBEC, March 11 (Reuters) - More than 30 army chiefs among Washington's closest allies met in Paris on Tuesday without their U.S. counterparts, seeking to take on more responsibility over the Ukraine war 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 U.S.

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 it's clear there are things we can't do and the problem with Russia is we need to have deterrence," said a European diplomat involved in the talks, adding that the meeting was largely pre-planning.

A military official said the U.S. was not invited, in an intended signal that Europe and other partners could take their responsibilities given Trump has distanced himself from allies.


Officials said the presence of countries like Japan and Australia, both of whom have also faced uncertainty from the new U.S. administration, showed a deeper malaise among Washington's traditional allies.