Macron plans to call Trump after the summit of the "coalition of the willing" - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
After the summit in Paris, Macron intends to inform Trump about European support for Ukraine and demand commitments from Russia on a ceasefire. The possibility of deploying European troops is being discussed.
French President Emmanuel Macron, following today's summit of the "coalition of the willing" in Paris on aid to Ukraine, plans to inform US President Donald Trump of what Europe is ready to do, Bloomberg reports, citing a source, UNN writes.
Details
Before the summit, Macron announced a new €2 billion military aid package for Ukraine and said leaders would consider strengthening the Ukrainian army, which would remain the main line of defense in any peace settlement.
Macron plans to use the leaders' meeting to discuss what he called a "force of reassurance" of European soldiers who could be stationed at strategic locations throughout Ukraine to deter Russia from re-attacking after peace is achieved, adding that it could respond to any aggression.
Macron plans to call Trump after the summit to brief him on what Europe can do and demand that Russia make commitments that can be verified in a ceasefire agreement," - according to an official in his office.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in Paris on Wednesday, will attend the summit and is expected to discuss recent talks with the US in Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine agreed to a partial ceasefire.
"We expect new and strong decisions, it is time to move to serious discussions on security guarantees and the presence of a contingent of our partners in Ukraine," Zelenskyy said on Wednesday evening during a joint press conference with Macron, noting that some specific issues on these topics could be resolved on Thursday.
The EU has discussed several initiatives to increase aid to Ukraine, increase defense spending, and how to participate in a "coalition of the willing" to provide security guarantees to Ukraine in a possible peace agreement. But after weeks of meetings and summits, the bloc has failed to increase aid to Ukraine or offer Trump a concrete way for Europe to participate in potential peace deals, the newspaper notes.
This has prompted Macron to try to intervene along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as the main European voices, especially given that senior EU officials are still trying to establish contacts in the Trump administration.
Their "coalition of the willing", which excludes EU members such as Hungary who regularly block plans for Ukraine, marks perhaps the most significant rapprochement between Europe and the UK since Brexit, the newspaper writes.
Europe's only two nuclear powers have been trying for weeks to come up with ways to protect Ukraine in any settlement, even as Russia demands an end to military support for Ukraine as part of the agreement.
According to a European diplomat, among the issues being discussed by officials were: whether European forces should be approved by Russia and whether they should be deployed after a peace agreement is reached or before to ensure it.
"Russia cannot have a say in the support we provide and will provide to Ukraine," Macron said on Wednesday. - Russia cannot dictate the terms of a lasting peace."
On Tuesday, the US said that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea, although the Kremlin said that its participation would depend on a number of preconditions, including the lifting of sanctions.
"We should all not be naive about Putin," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who will attend the meeting in Paris, told reporters in Warsaw on Wednesday. - But I really think it's good that the US is trying to end this war so that we can bring Ukraine to a lasting peace."
Although the US is not seeking to include the EU in the current negotiations, it has made it clear to its allies that Europe will be involved in the conversation about sanctions, the newspaper notes.
The EU has made it clear that it is not ready to discuss easing sanctions, which would require unanimous approval from the 27 member states.
Macron also said that it was still too early to discuss easing sanctions against Russia.
Addition
The bloc has had more success in advancing plans to increase defense spending. EU leaders have agreed to a plan to issue €150 billion in loans to member states for defense, as well as provide budgetary flexibility to governments, which could allow them to mobilize up to an additional €650 billion. Germany, in particular, has approved an unprecedented plan to unlock hundreds of millions of euros for defense and infrastructure spending.
But a number of countries with limited financial resources, especially in Southern Europe, have said that these plans will not help them as much. And the EU is still reluctant to engage in broader discussions about the use of joint debt.
The EU is reportedly also stuck in attempts to agree on a specific military aid commitment of up to €40 billion for Ukraine, proposed by EU chief diplomat Kaya Kallas, as well as on the issue of choosing a special envoy to represent Europe in the negotiations.
