French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday evening in Paris to prepare a summit of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’, a group of countries ready to provide Ukraine with long-term security guarantees.
French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged an additional €2 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
The announcement came during a press conference in Paris on Wednesday evening, ahead of a high-stakes international summit on Ukraine’s long-term security scheduled for Thursday morning.
The new package includes a range of military equipment, such as Milan anti-tank missiles, MICA missiles for Mirage fighter jets, Mistral air defence missiles, armoured vehicles, munitions, and drones.
The thorny issue of peacekeeping troops
Macron also highlighted that Thursday’s summit with world leaders in Paris will address the “future format of the Ukrainian armed forces.”
The discussions aim to ensure that Ukraine remains capable of resisting new attacks and maintaining long-term security.
On the thorny issue of deploying peacekeeping troops, Macron clarified that such forces would not be engaged on the front lines.
According to the French leader, strengthening Ukraine’s military is the main priority, with the potential deployment of peacekeeping forces to hold positions behind the front lines as a secondary measure. These forces could be stationed in “strategic towns” or “bases.”
Speaking alongside Macron, Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hoped that the United States would maintain its commitment to enforcing a ceasefire.
“We have had several discussions with the US in Saudi Arabia that have enabled us to unlock the US aid and intelligence we need,” he said. “We hope and believe that America will have enough strength to enforce the partial ceasefire.”
On Tuesday, the US said it had brokered a deal to end fighting in the Black Sea in talks with Ukraine and Russia.
However, Moscow later released a statement saying that it would respect the ceasefire only when sanctions imposed on its banks and exports are lifted.
‘Too soon’ to lift sanctions on Russia
Macron rejected the idea of easing sanctions on Russia, describing it as “far too early.”
“Peace through strength is not about removing sanctions. Lifting them depends solely on Russia’s choice to comply with international law,” explained Macron, in an apparent jab at the Trump administration.
On Tuesday, the US announced that it would ease sanctions targeting Russian agricultural trade.
Zelenskyy however reiterated the necessity of tightening sanctions against Moscow.
“Sanctions against Russia must remain in force and be strengthened,” he urged, arguing that “only diplomacy based on force is effective.”
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