Paul Wood: Former BBC Foreign Correspondent on the EU summit as the US and Russia meet

European leaders appear alarmed by the speed the US has taken on its Russia plans. 

France is hosting an emergency summit with European and NATO leaders to discuss the situation. 

US and Russian officials are en route to Saudi Arabia for their own talks - Russia says Europe will have no role in these discussions. 

Former BBC Foreign Correspondent Paul Wood told Mike Hosking the meeting in Saudi Arabia is wider than a Ukraine peace deal. 

He says this is about the US resetting its relationship with Russia, but Europe is worried about the implications it will have on its security. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So Europe on the brink jade advance rolls into town,
gives them a few home truths. The talks as regards
peace and Ukraine appear to possibly involve Europe, possibly not so.
The emergency Summitt hillbb A night, former BBC Foreign correspondent
Paul Woodsbeck, whether that's Paul, good morning, good morning. You've
seen a lot. Is this history in the making.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Well, if history has a lot of panic and scrambling
and trying to make yourself relevant, then yes, this is
Europe completely alarmed by President Trump telephoning the Russian lead
of Vladimir Putin, apparently without consulting European allies. And you
said in your introduction, will Europe be involved in the talks? Well,
apparently they won't, but certainly not as they are getting

(00:41):
underway in Saudi Arabia. Now, what's happening in Saudi Arabia
is much wider than just a Ukraine piece effort. This
is about the US resetting its relations with Russia. But
Europeans are worried that this will have huge implications, not
just for Ukraine but for European security. They're trying to
make themselves relevant. We'll have to see what they come up.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
The JD Van's comments the other day, the fear within,
the problems within, did he have a point?

Speaker 2 (01:07):
I suppose it depends where you stand on theseues of
free speech in a range of European countries, Britain, Germany.
He was making a point about Europe's worries over Ukraine. Well,
hang on a minute. He's saying, the enemy is really
within and it's your own weakness. So these are the
kind of almost trolleying comments that President Trump succeeds in making.

(01:32):
Very well, it's an attempt to throw the board up
in the air and reset the pieces. But certainly doing that,
it's very hard to distinguish what is a negotiating tactic
on the behalf of the US government and what is
a really heartfelt position. But certainly it's having an effect.
That's why they're meeting in Paris.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Now, does this potentially in bolden Europe and NATO to go.
We've been caught badly out here. We need for the
future to do something more substantive than what we've been
doing or not.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Well. The Poonish leaders said that that the countries of Europe,
and I suppose that the UK as well UK's geographically
in Europe still but not politically. In Europe they will
go up there defense spending. But President Zelenski, for instance,
says it would take two hundred thousand troops to police
the fifteen hundred mile front line if there was a
peace agreement. And by the way, the Ukrainians say they

(02:23):
can be no peace agreement without them, and they're not
at the table. In Saudi Arabia, the former head of
the British Army, Lord Dana, says it would take one
hundred thousand. Well, Britain's got a pretty hollow army now
of seventy six thousand, and Britain, along with France, they're
the most effective armies in Europe. Where are these hundred
thousand or two hundred thousand going to come from? I

(02:44):
saw one estimate from one analyst saying that three brigades
or fifteen thousands all that Europe could come up with.
And then if Europe does send these troops, is America
going to backstop? That is this essentially NATO membership for
Ukraine and all but name. These are all questions which
I think show the huge mountain the Europeans have to climb.
But at the moment, they're just scrambling to become relevant

(03:06):
by offering something.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Paul, good to have you on the program as always
appreciate your time for the BBC Foreign Correspondent, Paul would.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
It's for more from the My Asking Breakfast.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
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