Defense ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom — Europe’s five largest military spenders — met in Paris on Wednesday and affirmed their continued support for Ukraine even in the event of a ceasefire or peace deal with Russia.
According to a Defense News report, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastian Lecornu called for a “complete rethink” of ground-based air defense, saying current plans are too slow. He also highlighted the “tremendous risk” of Europe falling behind in space capabilities, citing dependence on Starlink and the slow progress of the European alternative, IRIS2.
Lecornu said military chiefs of staff are already working on different security scenarios for Ukraine, with urgent priorities including addressing Black Sea security and the safety of Ukrainian nuclear power plants. The French minister acknowledged the long-term nature of the effort, which he claims is complicated by the “maybe unpredictable nature of the American ally.”
Regarding issues with European defense procurement, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius recommended standardizing capability requests, increasing joint framework contracts and implementing uniform weapon-system certification for faster, less bureaucratic joint acquisition. He also called for a road map with the United States as it shifts its focus away from Europe to manage the transition and avoid capability gaps.
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that supporting Ukraine is vital to keep Russia “as far away as possible” from the region. Meanwhile, U.K. Secretary for Defence John Healey reiterated that recent calls from Washington for Europe to increase its defense efforts do not signal a U.S. withdrawal from supporting Ukraine or European security.
The Paris defense meeting follows a joint U.S.-Ukraine proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, which is now awaiting Moscow’s response. According to the joint statement released Monday, the U.S. would resume intelligence sharing and security assistance to Kyiv. The proposal also includes provisions for humanitarian relief efforts should Russia agree to the ceasefire, including prisoner exchanges and the return of detained civilians and forcibly transferred children.