US President Donald Trump has backed the idea of deploying European troops to Ukraine for a peacekeeping mission.

US President Donald Trump, commenting on Ukraine’s possible disappointment over its absence from the talks between the US and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia, has said that he himself was "disappointed" by the prolonged duration of the war.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is sceptical about the idea of deploying European troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission.

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and Minister of Justice, has said that an agreement with the US on the use of natural resources is still being discussed.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, met with Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, on Tuesday, 18 February.

Armin Papperger, CEO of German defence concern Rheinmetall, has said that European countries have found themselves "at kid’s table" in negotiations on Ukraine's future due to decades of underinvestment in defence.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys believes that after the war in Ukraine ends, it may be necessary to send hundreds of thousands of European soldiers to prevent new Russian aggression.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who took part in the summit of European leaders in Paris, has called the meeting "anti-Trump".

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, commenting on the outcome of the summit of the European leaders in Paris, has stated that it was only a "prelude" to events in the coming weeks.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said, following the summit of European leaders in Paris, that Europe is ready to take a leading role in providing security guarantees to Ukraine.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has stated that deploying Swedish troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force is "absolutely a possibility".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has called it impossible for Russia to return to the G7 because the aggressor country is far from democratic.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, 17 February, to hold talks between the US and Russian delegations on the settlement of the war in Ukraine.

The Estonian Defence Forces Intelligence Centre has assessed that in January 2025, capturing one square kilometre of Ukrainian territory cost Russia the lives of 100 soldiers from its armed forces.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, commenting on US President Donald Trump's phone call with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, emphasised that Europe must also be part of these discussions.