European leaders are left scrambling as U.S. nears talks with Russia on Ukraine

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• Geoff Bennett:

  Today, the Trump administration's top national security officials are all in Saudi Arabia ahead of a meeting tomorrow with Russian officials that marks the beginning of Ukraine peace talks.

  The fact that those talks are bilateral has sparked deep worry across Europe, especially after comments by senior U.S. officials in Europe over the last week critical of U.S. allies.

  Here's Nick Schifrin.

• Nick Schifrin:

  In Riyadh today, a meeting with Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince before negotiations begin to end Europe's deadly is conflict since World War II.

  Tomorrow, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, no Ukrainian or other European officials, Which led Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today during a visit to the United Arab Emirates to call the talks illegitimate.

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President (through interpreter):

  Ukraine regards any negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine as ones that have no result, and we cannot recognize any agreements about us without us.

• Nick Schifrin:

  This weekend, President Trump assured that Ukraine would not be sidelined.

• Question:

  Do you expect Zelenskyy to be involved in these conversations? What will his role be?

  Donald Trump, President of the United States: Yes, I do. I do. He will be involved.

  Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg (RET.), Special Envoy to Ukraine and Russia: From the school of realism.

• Nick Schifrin:

  But at the Munich Security Conference, special envoy Keith Kellogg made it clear other Europeans would not be invited because he said previous European-led cease-fire negotiations had failed.

• Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg (RET.):

  There was a lot of people at the table that really had no ability to execute some type of peace process and it failed miserably. So we're not going to go down that path.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Today, Kellogg briefed NATO about what he called partnership with Europe on ending the war. But some Europeans today worry the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner. And leaders today rushed to Paris, where President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency summit.

  Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov called the European kettle black.

• Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (through interpreter):

  If they continue scheming some tricky ideas, as they usually do, and just intend to continue the war, why invite them?

• Nick Schifrin:

  This afternoon, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called this a — quote — "difficult situation" for Europe and that peace talks for Ukraine must produce a fair and sustainable peace.

  For more on those Ukraine talks and the U.S. relationship with Europe, we turn to Gabrielius Landsbergis, who was Lithuania's foreign minister from 2020 to 2024.

  Thanks very much. Welcome back to the "News Hour."

  After hearing Vice President Vance this weekend give support for right-wing parties across Europe and after hearing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last week saying the U.S.' primary focus could no longer be in Europe, you argued this. You argued that neither Europe nor Ukraine can trust the U.S. to provide security or assistance.

  Why do you believe the break is so fundamental?

• Gabrielius Landsbergis, Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister:

  Well, because we have — in Europe, we have never heard these sort of words spoken after the alliance was created.

  So, clearly, this is really shocking to many of those who wished to join this alliance because we did not have this opportunity to do that when it was created. And by joining it we believe that it's fundamental, it's ironclad that nothing can — nothing can fracture it, nothing can break it.

  So, listening to those words, it's really in many cases for the people on Eastern flank, this is — this is even emotional, I would say, like a change or an end of an era.

• Nick Schifrin:

  So when you see Special Envoy Kellogg go to NATO today and talk about — quote — "partnership," when you hear Secretary of State Marco Rubio this weekend call the transatlantic alliance — quote — "vital," do you just not think that that is the U.S. policy anymore?

• Gabrielius Landsbergis:

  The question is that, in the face of biggest geopolitical calamity in the — in the continent since the Second World War, people might start doubting whether the alliance still works as it has, as we have — we have set out to for it to work or we or as we planned for it to work.

  So this is the biggest change. We have war just a couple of hundred kilometers from where I sit. And it's — if there's anything that I would like to do is to reassure people of Lithuania that that U.S. has our back, that NATO is strong, and nothing has changed. But the questions are there.

• Nick Schifrin:

  After the conference, you also wrote that to be invited to the table when it comes to Ukraine talks, you have to matter. And then you suggest Europe can build its own table. How?

• Gabrielius Landsbergis:

  Well, look, I mean, I have heard ministers and European leaders asking United States not to forget Europe, invite us to the table.

  And, for me, it just — it just sounds sad. We shouldn't be asking this, right? We are a continent of 450 million people, enormous economy, enormous economical power and financial power. Clearly, just we have been asleep for very long time. And if there is a time to wake up, so it is now we wake up, we start financing our defense, where we can start financing Ukraine.

  And then we build the table. We support Ukraine, but we would say that, look, yes, the times might change. The alliances change, but we have your back. And I have full confidence that Europe is able to say that. The only thing that is lacking or could be lacking is political will.

• Nick Schifrin:

  But, with all due respect, European leaders, including yourself, even French President Emmanuel Macron, have been screaming from the rooftops that Europe has to take this more seriously, that Europe has to do more.

  Why do you believe that this moment could prove any different than these previous attempts?

• Gabrielius Landsbergis:

  Indeed, it is one of the last calls to wake up.

  If this doesn't wake up, well, somebody might declare that the patient is actually dead. One has to be worthy for its own freedom. So it is indeed a very dark — potentially a very dark hour for Europe, because the consequences of us sleeping through what is happening now could be detrimental.

  Clearly, in Munich, it was seen that China is very much interested in everything that's happening in Europe. But now seeing how many meetings did minister of foreign affairs of PRC had with European leaders, had with institutions? Some of the countries were waiting for years to meet the Chinese leadership. And suddenly, just during this Munich, they got this possibility.

  I wonder why. Because they see the fractures in transatlantic union, and they want to drive the wedge even further. And they can emerge an actual winner from this war. So the West, you, United States, might lose the war, not just to Putin, but also to China.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Gabrielius Landsbergis, thank you very much.

• Gabrielius Landsbergis:

  Thank you.