Catherine Field: Europe Correspondent on the European leaders working out a security plan as Russia, US meets to discuss the conflict with Ukraine

European leaders are scrambling to work out a security plan - without US support. 

France is hosting an emergency summit regarding the war in Ukraine while US and Russian officials are en route to Saudi Arabia for their own talks to try to end the conflict. 

Ukraine's Prime Minister is also in the Middle East, but won't be part of the talks.  

Europe correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking it feels like the ground is shifting, but no one knows which way it's moving. 

She says it's because there are so many confusing remarks and opinions coming out of the Trump administration. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In the middle of it all, the center of a
changing geopolitical force field. Catherine Field, very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good morning, Mike. That really does sum it up, doesn't It?

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Does it feel like that?

Speaker 3 (00:13):
It does? It really does.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
I know that this current Russian invasion of Ukraine started
three years ago and it's been you know, we've talked
about often enough, it's been on the doorstep for a
long time. But I think today we really do get
the feeling with what We've got eight heads of government
of European nations, plus the head of NATO, the head
of the EU here in Paris talking about how the

(00:38):
future roadmap of European security will pan out without the
Americans being on their side. So really, Mike, I've seen
a lot of my career, but this is the first
time I've really thought, gosh, you know, the ground is
really changing, and no one knows where it's going to go,
simply because there are so many confused remarks, pinions and

(01:01):
ideas coming from the Trump administration, not only in Washington,
but also what Europeans heard over the weekend about not
just America's involvement with securing Europe's security, that commitment to
Europe security, but also your other things like what's going
to happen to Ukraine, what's going to happen with Russia,

(01:23):
where the Russia is going to be allowed back? In
so many confused messages, and to have so many heads
of government get together and say wow, this is important,
We've got to get together to sort something out.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
Well, it's all very well to get together and say wow,
what actually are they going to do?

Speaker 2 (01:40):
This is a big question and can they do it?
Do they have the money to do it? Here's what
they're going to try and do. We've heard what just
in the last twenty four hours the uk kes Starmer
has said that if there is a ceasefire then the
British would be happy to deploy troops in some manner.

Speaker 3 (01:58):
We don't know how that would be. Let's think back
last year.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
That was exactly the same idea that French President Emmanuel
Macron came up with.

Speaker 3 (02:06):
He was talking about.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Not having French troops actually in Ukraine, but having seen
French troops along the borders you're with Ukraine, that would
free up some of their border patrol personnel to be
able to go and be on the front line. So
we're looking at that what else could they do. The
big thing they've got to do, Mike is find money.
They need to be able to spend and spend big

(02:30):
on European security. So what they're going to talk about
there is how do they do it. Do they raise
the debt ceiling? Do they really antagonize the Americans by
upping all the procurement for just European firms. All these
are on the table, but certainly the big thing they
need is they need to come out and they need

(02:50):
to say very clearly, we know we're in a difficult position.
We're going for clarity. This is what we need. And
the other big point, of course is the these talks
that are going to be going on in the Middle
East between the Americans and the Russians. They're going to
stand there and hopefully within the next couple of hours
they will say Ukraine has to be part of those

(03:11):
talks and the EU has to be part.

Speaker 3 (03:13):
Of those talks.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, well, good luck with that. John Major on watching
him yesterday, America's isolation was creating a power vacuum that
would embolden nations like Russia and China, and that there
was no doubt Russia would invade elsewhere before long? Are
that all the people in the room you just talked
about going here here to that broad sentiment.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Absolutely, there really has been a feeling since that phone
call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin last week, there
really has been a feeling that the US is moving
away from Europe. It's no longer going to regard Europe
as its security priority.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
That focus will shift to China.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
That will give Russia a chance to actually carry out
more of the type or threaten to carry out the
type of invasions that they've been doing in Ukraine. Certainly,
when you look at what Putin and Trump were talking about,
Putin was talking about limiting NATO forces in Eastern Europe,

(04:16):
saying that Ukraine couldn't join NATO. These are all the
old talking points, Mike. And it's interesting that Putin is
only talking about his view of Eastern Europe, those countries
that are alongside Russia, alongside Belarus, and he wants them
to be within the Russian sphere of influence.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
Right, Hey, listen, I'm out of time, but I'm deeply
interested in Germany this weekend. What chance the AfD wins,
What chances the AfD wins and can form some sort
of government.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
They will win big.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
According to opinion polls, they will get at least twenty
percent of the votes. But again Mike, it's coalition government,
so they won't have enough to possible. It looks unlikely anyway,
they won't have enough to be the lead in the coalition.
But so and we're looking at possibly May before they
get a coalition agreement before with the parties that will
go in, which is a.

Speaker 3 (05:06):
Bad time for Germany to be without a government.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
I reckon talk next week. Appreciate it, Catherine Field. Literally
history unfollowing before us. It's such an interesting time. The Irish,
by the way I'm reading this morning, speaking of Europe,
they're goods. Exports to the United States search thirty four percent.
Under normal circumstances, that will be fantastic, except when you've
got a president who doesn't like that sort of business.
Because the flip side imports from the usfl so that's

(05:29):
called a surplus. He doesn't like it. So they can
stand by for some terrif action as well. For more
from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news Talks.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
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