French President Emmanuel Macron, right, poses with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, February 17, 2025. /VCG

European leaders on Monday called for higher spending to ramp up the continent's defense capabilities but remained split on the idea of deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine to back up any peace deal.

The leaders, who met in Paris for emergency talks, also agreed it would be dangerous to conclude a Ukraine ceasefire without a peace agreement at the same time, and that they were ready to provide security guarantees to Ukraine "depending on the level of American support," a European official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

"We agree with President Trump on a 'peace through strength' approach," the official said.

The Paris meeting was called by French President Emmanuel Macron after U.S. President Donald Trump arranged bilateral talks with Russia, excluding European allies and Ukraine from initial negotiations to end the war that are scheduled to begin in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Macron spoke with Trump ahead of the meetings, officials from both countries said on Monday. A White House official called it "a friendly call" in which they talked about the Paris meeting and the talks in Saudi Arabia.

Trump stunned Ukraine and European allies last week when he announced he had called Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war without consulting them, and they must now confront the reality of a future with less U.S. protection.

The U.S. decision has sparked a realization among European nations that they will have to do more to ensure Ukraine's security.