Europe's security is at a turning point, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday, as she arrived in Paris for an emergency meeting to address Washington's shock policy shift on the war in Ukraine.

"Europe's security is at a turning point. Yes, it is about Ukraine - but it is also about us. We need an urgency mindset. We need a surge in defence. And we need both of them now," she said on X.

Leaders from key European powers gathered in France to strategise after US President Donald Trump blindsided allies by launching efforts with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

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.

European Council chief Antonio Costa, who was also participating, said the meeting was "the beginning of a process, that will continue with the involvement of all the partners committed to peace and security in Europe."

"The European Union and its Member States will play a central role in this process," he wrote on X.

Europe is scrambling to come up with plans to ensure any peace deal in Ukraine is lasting, with Britain saying it would be willing to deploy peacekeepers if necessary.

The Paris meeting was to bring together the heads of government of Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain, as well as the heads of the European Council, the European Commission and Nato. (AFP)