Paris proves that Europe and the US are an ocean apart

However hard Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer tried to disguise the fact, it was transatlantic divisions, rather than agreements, that emerged from yesterday’s Paris summit.

- MARY DEJEVSKY

Despite their designation as joint chairs, the French and UK leaders held separate press conferences. As Starmer noted in his, this was the fourth meeting to consider what is termed either a “coalition of the willing” (UK) or a “reassurance force” (France and Germany). He noted that more than 200 military specialists had spent days planning in London. Both he and Macron did their best to avoid directly cutting across the US’s peace efforts, stressing that European plans were designed for “the day after” a deal. Both went out of their way to appear positive about President Trump.

It was hard, nonetheless, to escape the impression that they were waiting for the US effort to fail, and so were banking on some rather different tactics.

These included toughening sanctions against Russia in the hope of increasing pressure on Moscow to accept current terms for a ceasefire, which flies in the face of the US hinting at a loosening of sanctions in return for Russia’s acceptance of a ceasefire in the Black Sea; and constant talk of peace being possible only “through strength”, which both Macron and Starmer underlined was embodied in the unity on display from the Europeans.