Three countries outraged by not being invited to Paris summit, media report

The Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovenia are unhappy that they did not receive an invitation to the summit of European leaders in Paris, organized by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The French newspaper Le Monde quotes a source in the Czech government who accused the French leader of arrogance: “Apart from Poland, there is no country closer to war than the Czech Republic. No country has more Ukrainian refugees per capita, and we run one of the most efficient arms supply systems.”

Presidential Adviser on Defense and Security Cristian Diaconescu expressed regret that Romania, despite its efforts, was not invited to join this discussion. At the same time, he assured that Bucharest's opinion would be taken into account in the future:

“The topics of discussion will not be related to the security and stability of NATO's eastern flank, such as the Black Sea region, and, very importantly, no decisions will be made, but I can assure you that there will be further work that will include us.”

Slovenian President Natasa Pirz Musar believes that the absence of leaders of other European countries “sends the wrong signal” regarding efforts aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine.

“On a symbolic level, the organizers of the Paris summit are demonstrating to the world that even in Europe, countries are not treated equally. This is not in the spirit of the European integration process. This is not the Europe we aspire to. This is not the Europe that is respected in the world. This is not the Europe that would be a worthy partner for a North American ally,” RTV SLO quotes her as saying.

Paris Summit

Recall that European leaders are expressing concern over the lack of an invitation to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, initiated by the United States.

Because of this, French President Emmanuel Macron called an emergency meeting in Paris with the leaders of a number of countries and representatives of NATO and the European Union.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Europe and Ukraine will be involved in the negotiations when they enter a serious phase, but currently the process is in its early stages.