Ukraine : Macron parle à Trump puis tient une réunion de crise avec des pays-clés européens

Un “tournant” pour la sécurité européenne : l’Europe tente lundi au cours d’une réunion d’urgence à Paris d’afficher une posture commune pour déjouer la menace de rester spectatrice pendant que Donald Trump négocie la fin de la guerre en Ukraine dans un tête-à-tête avec la Russie.Plusieurs dirigeants de pays-clés européens, dont le Britannique Keir Starmer, l’Allemand Olaf Scholz et le Polonais Donald Tusk, ont rejoint le président français Emmanuel Macron dans l’après-midi à l’Elysée pour une rencontre convoquée à la hâte. Les chefs des gouvernements espagnol, néerlandais et danois y participent aussi, tandis que l’Italienne Giorgia Meloni devait arriver en retard.”La sécurité de l’Europe est à un tournant”, a écrit sur X la présidente de la Commission européenne Ursula von der Leyen à son arrivée dans la capitale française, où est aussi présent le secrétaire général de l’Otan Mark Rutte. “Nous avons besoin d’un état d’esprit d’urgence” et d'”un sursaut dans notre défense”, a-t-elle ajouté.Juste avant le début de ces entretiens, Emmanuel Macron s’est entretenu au téléphone avec Donald Trump, qui a semé le désarroi en Europe en parlant la semaine dernière avec Vladimir Poutine pour déclencher les grandes manoeuvres diplomatiques sur l’Ukraine. D’autant que l’émissaire américain Keith Kellogg, qui ira jeudi en Ukraine, a clairement laissé entendre que Washington ne voulait pas des Européens à la table des négociations.- Divergences -La réunion de crise de lundi inaugure un ballet diplomatique qui se poursuivra avec des pourparlers inédits américano-russes prévus pour mardi en Arabie saoudite, où est arrivé le secrétaire d’Etat américain Marco Rubio. Ceux-ci concerneront en particulier de “possibles négociations sur l’Ukraine”, selon le Kremlin, même si la diplomatie américaine en a minimisé la portée en assurant qu’il ne s’agirait pas du début d’une “négociation”.Le chef de l’Etat ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky se rendra en tout cas également en Arabie saoudite mercredi, après avoir prévenu que son pays “ne reconnaîtrait” aucun accord conclu sans lui sur son propre avenir. Le Premier ministre Keir Starmer a pour sa part fait savoir qu’il rencontrerait “la semaine prochaine” Donald Trump à Washington.Mais le rendez-vous que tous attendent désormais, et beaucoup redoutent, est celui entre le président américain et son homologue russe. Il devrait avoir lieu “très bientôt”, a fait savoir le locataire de la Maison Blanche.Avant de se retrouver à Paris en petit comité au cours d’une réunion qui pourrait être suivie d’autres élargies au reste des Européens, le Vieux Continent a étalé ses divergences.Le Royaume-Uni, qui aimerait jouer un rôle de facilitateur entre les Etats-Unis et les Européens, s’est dit prêt dimanche à dépêcher “si nécessaire” des troupes en Ukraine pour “contribuer aux garanties de sécurité”. La Suède a également affirmé lundi ne “pas exclure” le déploiement de soldats si les négociations permettent d’installer “une paix juste et durable”.En revanche, le Premier ministre polonais Donald Tusk, un fort soutien de Kiev, a assuré lundi avant son départ pour Paris que la Pologne n’enverrait pas de militaires en Ukraine.Comme l’Espagne, l’Allemagne juge de son côté “prématurées” ces discussions sur l’envoi de troupes, souhaitant “d’abord attendre de voir si et comment la paix, comme nous l’espérons, s’instaure en Ukraine”.- Rapprochement russo-américain -Une conférence sur la sécurité s’est achevée dimanche à Munich, en Allemagne, où le discours hostile du vice-président américain J.D. Vance à l’encontre des alliés des Etats-Unis a sidéré les Européens.Dimanche, un conseiller d’Emmanuel Macron a fait part de la “nécessité pour les Européens de faire plus, mieux et de manière cohérente pour notre sécurité collective”.”Nous ne serons pas en mesure d’aider efficacement l’Ukraine si nous ne prenons pas immédiatement des mesures concrètes concernant nos propres capacités de défense”, a renchéri lundi Donald Tusk.Les pays de l’Union européenne vont d’ailleurs chercher cette semaine à Bruxelles à accroître rapidement leur aide militaire à l’Ukraine, avec, en particulier, une quantité “minimum” d’un million et demi d’obus d’artillerie, selon plusieurs diplomates européens.Mais, signe des divisions dans l’UE, la Hongrie de Viktor Orban, un dirigeant à la fois proche de Moscou mais aussi du président américain, a fustigé “des dirigeants européens frustrés, pro-guerre et anti-Trump” qui “se réunissent pour empêcher un accord de paix en Ukraine”.Pour le chef de la diplomatie russe Sergueï Lavrov, l’Europe n’a pas sa place dans les futures négociations car elle veut “continuer la guerre”.L’Ukraine entre le 24 février dans la quatrième année du conflit déclenché par l’invasion à grande échelle par la Russie.Ursula von der Leyen et ses commissaires européens se rendront en Ukraine, pour marquer l’anniversaire de cette attaque.Volodymyr Zelensky a exhorté les Européens à éviter un accord forgé par les Américains “dans le dos” de Kiev et de l’Europe.Mais au sujet d’une participation de l’Europe aux négociations, l’émissaire américain Kellogg a répondu, laconique : “Je fais partie de l’école réaliste, je pense que ça ne va pas se produire”.cf-vl-cl-fff/hr/bds

European leaders meet on response to US Ukraine shift

European leaders met on Monday for emergency talks in Paris called by French President Emmanuel Macron to agree a coordinated response to a shock policy shift on the war in Ukraine by the new US administration of Donald Trump.With European policymakers leaving the annual Munich Security Forum dazed by Vice President JD Vance’s withering attack on the European Union, key EU leaders, as well as UK Premier Sir Keir Starmer, were in Paris for the summit.In the most concrete sign yet of the US policy shift, the top diplomats of the United States and Russia were Tuesday due to have the first such face-to-face meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, a clear sign Trump wants to bring President Vladimir Putin in from the cold.Facing one of their biggest challenges in years, European leaders fear that Trump wants to make peace with Russia in talks that will not even involve Kyiv, let alone the European Union. Trump sidelined Kyiv and its European backers last week when he called Putin to talk about starting negotiations to end the conflict and said he could meet the Kremlin chief “very soon”.Other key participants in the summit include NATO chief Mark Rutte, Danish Premier Mette Frederiksen — who has in the last weeks battled to rebuff Trump’s territorial claim to Greenland — and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.Macron held telephone talks with Trump just before the summit, the French presidency said.- ‘Take practical steps’ -Macron has described Trump’s return for a second term in the White House as an “electroshock” and there are initial signs some of his counterparts are being stung into action.Britain’s Starmer, aware of the importance of London showing commitment to European security after Brexit, said Sunday that he was willing to put “our own troops on the ground if necessary” in response to what he called “a once-in-a-generation moment for the collective security of our continent”.Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, another key participant, said on Monday he would urge European leaders at the emergency summit to “immediately” boost Europe’s defences, warning they do not match Russia’s.”We will not be able to effectively help Ukraine if we do not immediately take practical steps regarding our own defence capabilities,” Tusk told reporters. Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has said Europe would not be directly involved in talks on Ukraine, though it would still have “input”.French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Sunday it would fall to Europe to guarantee any peace deal in Ukraine, adding he expected the United States to “revise their level of commitment to NATO, including in terms of geography”.The American policy shift “requires that we truly wake up, and even take a leap forward, to take our place for the security of the European continent”, Barrot said. – ‘Peace is still far off’ -But the notion of sending European troops to Ukraine — even after a ceasefire — was already causing friction within the European Union.Spain’s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, however said that, while it was necessary for Europeans to meet and prepare decisions, “nobody is currently planning to send troops to Ukraine, especially because peace is still far off”. Germany on Monday agreed, with deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann telling reporters it was “premature” to talk about sending troops to Ukraine.  Chancellor Olaf Scholz had said late Sunday that negotiations on Ukraine’s future could not be successful without European guarantees “that we will have created and accepted”.Meanwhile Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban is close to both Trump and Putin, said that Monday’s conference was an effort to “prevent” peace.”Today, in Paris, pro-war, anti-Trump, frustrated European leaders are gathering to prevent a peace agreement in Ukraine,” said Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.- ‘Process to peace’ -The Paris talks come as Washington said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff would on Tuesday meet with a Russian delegation including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Riyadh ahead of a future meeting between Trump and Putin in the Saudi capital.Rubio had earlier sought to play down expectations of any breakthrough at upcoming talks with Russian officials.”A process towards peace is not a one-meeting thing,” he told the CBS network.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was to visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, one day after the meeting between top US and Russian officials.Zelensky had announced the trip along with stops the United Arab Emirates and Turkey last week without giving dates, adding he had no plans to meet Russian or US officials.

WHO chief urges pandemic accord action after US withdrawalMon, 17 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT

The head of the World Health Organization insisted on Monday it was “now or never” to strike a landmark global accord on tackling future pandemics, after the United States withdrew from negotiations.WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said no country could protect itself from the next pandemic on its own — three days after US President …

WHO chief urges pandemic accord action after US withdrawalMon, 17 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT Read More »

WHO chief urges pandemic accord action after US withdrawal

The head of the World Health Organization insisted on Monday it was “now or never” to strike a landmark global accord on tackling future pandemics, after the United States withdrew from negotiations.WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said no country could protect itself from the next pandemic on its own — three days after US President Donald Trump’s administration told the UN health agency it was leaving the pandemic agreement talks.”We are at a crucial point as you move to finalise the pandemic agreement in time for the World Health Assembly” in May, Tedros told WHO members at the opening of the week-long 13th round of negotiations in Geneva.”It really is a case of now or never. But I am confident that you will choose ‘now’ because you know what is at stake.”You remember the hard-won lessons of Covid-19, which left an estimated 20 million of our brothers and sisters dead, and which continues to kill.”A further one-week session is planned before the WHO’s annual assembly.The process began in December 2021, when, fearing a repeat of Covid-19 — which killed millions of people, crippled health systems and crashed economies — countries decided to draft an accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.- Next pandemic ‘when, not if’ -After returning to office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order to start the one-year process of withdrawing from the WHO, an organisation he has repeatedly criticised over its handling of Covid-19.The order added that Washington would “cease negotiations” on the pandemic agreement.Tedros said Washington had formally notified the WHO on Friday of its withdrawal from the talks.”The next pandemic is a matter of when, not if. There are reminders all around us — Ebola, Marburg, measles, mpox, influenza and the threat of the next disease X,” he said.”No country can protect itself by itself. Bilateral agreements will only get you so far,” Tedros added.”Like the decision to withdraw from WHO, we regret this decision and we hope the US will reconsider,” he said.- System ‘under siege’ -Non-governmental organisations following the pandemic agreement process urged remaining member states to get the accord finished.Pandemic Action Network said: “Despite geopolitical and policy challenges, do not walk away from this vital mission.”Spark Street Advisors, a health sector consultancy, said the world had changed since the last negotiations in December, with the global multilateral system “under siege”.”This is why member states cannot afford to fail this week. In this new reality meant to reverse decades of progress, the pandemic agreement is a concrete action against this great dismantling,” it said.While much of the draft text has been agreed, disputes remain over sharing access to pathogens with pandemic potential and the sharing of benefits derived from them — vaccines, tests and treatments.Talks co-chair Precious Matsoso expressed hoped that proposed new wording would ensure a breakthrough. “Let’s make sure that the three years that we’ve spent does not end up being regretted — that we wasted three years of our time,” she said.

WHO chief urges pandemic accord action after US withdrawal

The head of the World Health Organization insisted on Monday it was “now or never” to strike a landmark global accord on tackling future pandemics, after the United States withdrew from negotiations.WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said no country could protect itself from the next pandemic on its own — three days after US President Donald Trump’s administration told the UN health agency it was leaving the pandemic agreement talks.”We are at a crucial point as you move to finalise the pandemic agreement in time for the World Health Assembly” in May, Tedros told WHO members at the opening of the week-long 13th round of negotiations in Geneva.”It really is a case of now or never. But I am confident that you will choose ‘now’ because you know what is at stake.”You remember the hard-won lessons of Covid-19, which left an estimated 20 million of our brothers and sisters dead, and which continues to kill.”A further one-week session is planned before the WHO’s annual assembly.The process began in December 2021, when, fearing a repeat of Covid-19 — which killed millions of people, crippled health systems and crashed economies — countries decided to draft an accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.- Next pandemic ‘when, not if’ -After returning to office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order to start the one-year process of withdrawing from the WHO, an organisation he has repeatedly criticised over its handling of Covid-19.The order added that Washington would “cease negotiations” on the pandemic agreement.Tedros said Washington had formally notified the WHO on Friday of its withdrawal from the talks.”The next pandemic is a matter of when, not if. There are reminders all around us — Ebola, Marburg, measles, mpox, influenza and the threat of the next disease X,” he said.”No country can protect itself by itself. Bilateral agreements will only get you so far,” Tedros added.”Like the decision to withdraw from WHO, we regret this decision and we hope the US will reconsider,” he said.- System ‘under siege’ -Non-governmental organisations following the pandemic agreement process urged remaining member states to get the accord finished.Pandemic Action Network said: “Despite geopolitical and policy challenges, do not walk away from this vital mission.”Spark Street Advisors, a health sector consultancy, said the world had changed since the last negotiations in December, with the global multilateral system “under siege”.”This is why member states cannot afford to fail this week. In this new reality meant to reverse decades of progress, the pandemic agreement is a concrete action against this great dismantling,” it said.While much of the draft text has been agreed, disputes remain over sharing access to pathogens with pandemic potential and the sharing of benefits derived from them — vaccines, tests and treatments.Talks co-chair Precious Matsoso expressed hoped that proposed new wording would ensure a breakthrough. “Let’s make sure that the three years that we’ve spent does not end up being regretted — that we wasted three years of our time,” she said.

WHO chief urges pandemic accord action after US withdrawal

The head of the World Health Organization insisted on Monday it was “now or never” to strike a landmark global accord on tackling future pandemics, after the United States withdrew from negotiations.WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said no country could protect itself from the next pandemic on its own — three days after US President Donald Trump’s administration told the UN health agency it was leaving the pandemic agreement talks.”We are at a crucial point as you move to finalise the pandemic agreement in time for the World Health Assembly” in May, Tedros told WHO members at the opening of the week-long 13th round of negotiations in Geneva.”It really is a case of now or never. But I am confident that you will choose ‘now’ because you know what is at stake.”You remember the hard-won lessons of Covid-19, which left an estimated 20 million of our brothers and sisters dead, and which continues to kill.”A further one-week session is planned before the WHO’s annual assembly.The process began in December 2021, when, fearing a repeat of Covid-19 — which killed millions of people, crippled health systems and crashed economies — countries decided to draft an accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.- Next pandemic ‘when, not if’ -After returning to office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order to start the one-year process of withdrawing from the WHO, an organisation he has repeatedly criticised over its handling of Covid-19.The order added that Washington would “cease negotiations” on the pandemic agreement.Tedros said Washington had formally notified the WHO on Friday of its withdrawal from the talks.”The next pandemic is a matter of when, not if. There are reminders all around us — Ebola, Marburg, measles, mpox, influenza and the threat of the next disease X,” he said.”No country can protect itself by itself. Bilateral agreements will only get you so far,” Tedros added.”Like the decision to withdraw from WHO, we regret this decision and we hope the US will reconsider,” he said.- System ‘under siege’ -Non-governmental organisations following the pandemic agreement process urged remaining member states to get the accord finished.Pandemic Action Network said: “Despite geopolitical and policy challenges, do not walk away from this vital mission.”Spark Street Advisors, a health sector consultancy, said the world had changed since the last negotiations in December, with the global multilateral system “under siege”.”This is why member states cannot afford to fail this week. In this new reality meant to reverse decades of progress, the pandemic agreement is a concrete action against this great dismantling,” it said.While much of the draft text has been agreed, disputes remain over sharing access to pathogens with pandemic potential and the sharing of benefits derived from them — vaccines, tests and treatments.Talks co-chair Precious Matsoso expressed hoped that proposed new wording would ensure a breakthrough. “Let’s make sure that the three years that we’ve spent does not end up being regretted — that we wasted three years of our time,” she said.