Paris summit: European leaders gather in support of Ukraine

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron is to host European leaders on Thursday, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, for a summit focused on shoring up Ukrainian security ahead of any possible cease-fire with Russia.

The meeting is aiming to outline what security guarantees Europe can provide Ukraine after a ceasefire agreement, including the potential deployment of military forces by a “coalition of the willing”.

The Paris summit is to be attended by 27 heads of state and government, who are to begin arriving at the Elysee Palace from 0800 GMT. Macron is set to hold a news conference in the afternoon summarizing the talks.

Turkey, key NATO member currently under the microscope amid protests over its home front, is set to be represented by its vice president, Cevdet Yilmaz.

The talks, held Wednesday in Paris where Macron spoke alongside Zelensky, mark a “decisive phase to put an end to the war of aggression” against Ukraine by Russia, Macron said, that has been stoked further by the United States under Donald Trump, knocking on Moscow’s door seeking a deal.

Macron also unveiled a new French military aid package for Ukraine of two billion euros ($2.2 billion), saying Paris stood ready to execute existing hardware from its stocks quickly.

He said Russia was obliged to agree to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by Ukraine “unconditionally”, accusing Moscow of still manifesting a “will for war” and praising Kyiv for having “taken the risk for peace”.

He accused Russia of creating “new conditions” and not responding to the cease-fire offer.

“Ukraine has unequivocally communicated to the United States its agreement to a complete and unconditional 30-day cease-fire even though it is the victim of the aggression,” Macron said.

“We expect the same willingness from Russia,” he added.

Zelensky said he was looking forward to “strong decisions” from the Thursday meeting, which was also set to include the likes of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“There is certainly no reason to lessen pressure on Russia or weaken our unity for the sake of peace now,” he said.

‘Card in the hands’

Zelensky also accused Russia of prolonging the conflict, despite the American peace overtures.

“Russia wants the war to go on,” he added. It is dragging it out. We must push Russia that the war ends for real,” he said.

One important component of such a settlement, once agreed, could be the sending of European forces to prevent Russia from attacking again.

In a later statement, Zelensky said it was premature to talk of the exact role of future European forces in Ukraine, after a top aide, Igor Zhovkva, said in Paris that Kyiv needed a strong European presence and not only peacekeepers.

The Ukrainian leader added that the question now was “who will be ready” to participate in such missions. “It’s too early to say,” he added, when asked what role the forces could play.

He emphasized that European forces would not be in Ukraine to engage in fighting. “It is a pacificist approach.”

But the French president also sketched out what efforts to keep the peace might look like on the ground after a ceasefire, with a dividing line and the question will be “what the mechanism” will be to make sure the peace holds.

A European force could be “a card in the hand of the Ukrainians” that would “dissuade the Russians” from getting another “mad idea” to launch an attack.

But he would not put European soldiers directly on the front line, he said.