Zelensky arrives in Paris for ‘Coalition of the Willing’ summit on security guarantees for Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Paris on Tuesday for a meeting of Kyiv’s allies to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia. Around 35 countries are expected to take part in the summit, including more than 27 leaders. “These talks are meant to deliver more protection and strength for Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a statement on X. “We are counting on our partners’ support and on steps that can guarantee real security for our people.”
Ahead of the “Coalition of the Willing” summit, Zelensky met for private talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. He and Macron are also scheduled to meet with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law. Witkoff and Kushner are also expected to attend this afternoon’s summit, along with the leaders of NATO and the European Union.
Update: Following Tuesday’s meeting, President Macron announced that the “Coalition of the Willing” had signed a declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine. In a separate agreement signed with President Zelensky, President Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer committed to deploying forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.
According to a draft statement obtained by Reuters, Ukraine’s allies expect to agree that security guarantees must include binding commitments to support Kyiv in case of future Russian aggression. “These commitments may include the use of military capabilities, intelligence and logistical support, diplomatic initiatives, adoption of additional sanctions,” Reuters quotes the draft as saying. However, the coalition will need to approve this statement, which was prepared ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.
A draft of a 20-point peace plan released by Zelensky last month said that the United States, NATO, and European countries would provide Ukraine with “Article 5-like” security guarantees. The Coalition of the Willing countries have signaled openness to deploying forces in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping contingent or to bolstering the Ukrainian military with weapons and intelligence if a ceasefire is reached.
As RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service notes, several unresolved issues remain regarding the possible deployment of an allied peacekeeping force in Ukraine. These include:
- The contingent’s size: European officials say that different figures are being kicked around, ranging from 15,000 to 20,000 troops. “Some hope it will be closer to 30,000 peacekeepers,” RFE/RL writes.
- Use-of-force rules: How peacekeepers should respond in the event of a Russian attack remains undecided. “We’re essentially still debating whether we will return fire or flee,” one European diplomat told RFE/RL.
- Peacekeeping force placement: It’s currently unclear how close a potential peacekeeping contingent would be to the contact line. Most European officials who spoke to RFE/RL were under the impression that peacekeepers would be deployed to western Ukraine to support and train Ukrainian troops.
- U.S. security guarantees: The United States isn’t part of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, but Ukraine’s allies are increasingly optimistic that Washington will support the peacekeeping contingent in some way, RFE/RL writes. European officials said that the coalition hopes that the U.S. will continue to provide intelligence and logistical support, and maybe even deploy troops in a non-combat capacity, to monitor compliance with the ceasefire.
A senior European official told Reuters that the hope is that “firming up” the coalition’s security guarantees for Ukraine will “help cement U.S. commitments,” which have been broadly outlined in bilateral negotiations between Washington and Kyiv in recent months.
Before departing for the Paris summit, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told journalists that the meeting’s goal is to “strengthen and unify European and American positions.” Tusk also said that the 20-point draft peace plan will be under discussion, but that the coalition does not expect to reach any final decisions.
Russia has consistently opposed the idea of Kyiv’s allies deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine. However, last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov signalled that Moscow might be open to discussing the possibility. “Our position on foreign military contingents on the territory of Ukraine is well known,” he said. “But again, this is a topic for discussion.”
