US President Donald Trump did not put pressure on Ukraine regarding the "demilitarization" that Russia wants, Reuters reports, citing a source, UNN writes.
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"Demilitarization is one of the few Russian demands that Trump has not pressured Ukraine on," Reuters reports, citing a senior European official who added that "Europe would like it to stay that way."
Ahead of talks in Paris involving more than 30 army chiefs without their American counterparts, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu stressed the importance of a strong Ukrainian army for security guarantees.
"The priority is to think about what the Ukrainian army should be like in the future, based on the principle that the first security guarantee remains the Ukrainian army," Lecornu said.
"We will reject any form of demilitarization of Ukraine," Lecornu said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that he wants the demilitarization of Ukraine, but Kyiv says that this will expose it to further attacks.
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The closed-door meeting of 34 army chiefs, including members of the NATO and EU alliance, as well as Japan and Australia, was a rare - and perhaps unprecedented - meeting without the United States.
The talks, as indicated, were aimed in part at assessing options and opportunities to guarantee Ukraine's security in the event of a ceasefire, including potential European peacekeepers, as well as maintaining Kyiv's long-term military strength.
"The political message is that we can do this together and without the United States, but it is clear that there are things we cannot do, and the problem with Russia is that we need to have deterrence," said a European diplomat involved in the talks, adding that the meeting was mostly planned in advance.
A military official said the US was not invited, which is a deliberate signal that Europe and other partners can take responsibility given that Trump has distanced himself from allies.
Officials said the presence of countries such as Japan and Australia, both of which have also faced uncertainty from the new US administration, is evidence of a deeper "malaise" among Washington's traditional allies.