European leaders meeting in Paris on Monday for emergency talks called for higher defense spending to ramp up the continent's defense capabilities but remained divided on the possible deployment of peacekeepers to Ukraine to back up any peace deal.

The hastily called gathering was part of a flurry of diplomacy expected to center on Ukraine this week as Trump officials prepare to start talks with Russia on their own.

Reeling from shocks delivered by the Trump administration last week, European leaders held emergency talks in Paris on Monday as US and Russian officials prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine – without European or Ukrainian involvement.