Paris (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Around 30 leaders will gather in Paris today to talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy about enhancing military support, reviewing ceasefire efforts and assessing what role they could play if a peace agreement is struck with Russia.
The third summit of what France has called the coalition of the “willing and able” will be attended by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.
Highlighting the challenges, Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday blamed each other for violating a U.S.-brokered truce on energy strikes. The European Union also stated it would not comply with the conditions Russia imposed for a proposed ceasefire in the Black Sea.
What are the main goals of the Paris summit?
The summit seeks to establish Europe‘s role in discussions aimed at resolving the conflict. Although the United States will not be present, French officials state that the results of the summit will be communicated to the U.S. administration.
The discussions will center on enhancing Ukraine’s military capabilities to prevent future assaults, as well as overseeing restricted ceasefires concerning maritime objectives and energy infrastructure. This was a key topic at the U.S.-led talks held this week in Saudi Arabia.
European leaders, including Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, are transitioning their approach to Ukraine’s security from deploying troops to exploring alternative solutions. This change is prompted by political and logistical challenges, as well as the possibility of opposition from Russia and the United States, officials informed Reuters.
A concept paper for the summit, as reported by sources, discusses a potential future reassurance force in Ukraine situated away from the front line,
“to facilitate a future peace settlement with the support of the United States.”
A reassurance unit stationed in Ukraine would seek to provide security guarantees and prevent further aggression from Russia.
How does Macron plan to aid Ukraine’s war efforts?
“First and foremost (we will discuss) the immediate support for Ukraine. It must go on because it is necessary to continue the resistance,”
Macron said during a press conference with Zelenskiy on Wednesday evening. Emmanuel Macron informed reporters that France would provide an additional 2 billion euros in military support to Ukraine. Zelenskiy mentioned that other allies might unveil their aid packages on Thursday.
“The objective is to allow Ukraine to keep the situation on the ground and resist the Russian aggression, while building the credible elements to this lasting peace,”
Macron stated.
How did Zelenskiy prepare for the summit?
Zelenskiy expressed his hope for greater clarity regarding which countries would ultimately commit to this force.
“We are expecting some new and strong decisions. We need to move forward on security guarantee discussions and the presence in Ukraine of partner contingents,”
He stated.
“We will see what is possible and not possible to do. It’s not simple, and I think it’s still too early.”
