European allies of Ukraine and U.S. envoys are meeting in Paris on Tuesday at a summit aimed at forging a unified position on the security guarantees to be provided to Kyiv and defining the shape of a “multinational force,” should an agreement be reached on a ceasefire with Russia.
اضافة اعلان
Officials close to French President Emmanuel Macron have presented this new meeting of the “coalition of the willing” as the culmination of efforts he launched a year ago, following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, to prevent “the United States from abandoning Ukraine.”
“One of his advisers told journalists on Monday, ‘We have succeeded in bringing Ukraine, Europe, and the United States closer together,’” as diplomatic efforts have intensified again since November, driven by Washington, in an attempt to reach an agreement with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
President Macron hosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for breakfast on Tuesday morning and is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, for lunch at the Élysée Palace.
The summit will bring together leaders from 35 countries, including 27 presidents or prime ministers.
A joint press conference is scheduled for the evening with Presidents Macron and Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“Military Secrets”
In mid-December, several European countries finalized a proposal to establish a multinational force backed by Washington, which pledged to provide “very strong” security guarantees.
Macron confirmed that Tuesday’s meeting would result in “concrete commitments,” with participants expected to agree on a shared vision for how to implement a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, how it would be monitored—using drones or satellites rather than deploying ground troops—and how to respond in the event of violations, according to the French presidency.
Also under discussion, according to the same source, are the “operational mechanisms” for deploying multinational forces to “reassure Ukraine by air, sea, and land” against any renewed Russian threat.
A Macron adviser noted that some outcomes of the meeting—such as troop numbers or allocated budgets—may not be disclosed, as they would constitute “military secrets.”
This comes as a late-December meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, as well as contacts between the U.S. president and Russian President Vladimir Putin, failed to make progress on a key sticking point: Kyiv’s potential concession of territories claimed by Moscow.
Since then, talks have continued at the negotiator level, and the issue will be raised again in Paris.
Days earlier, the Kremlin announced it would harden its positions after accusing Ukraine of attempting to target Putin’s residence with drones—an allegation Kyiv denies.
In recent weeks, Putin has reiterated that Russia will achieve its objectives in Ukraine either through negotiations or by force, while Russian forces continue their advance in eastern Ukraine. (AFP)
