Paris Summit: Politico learned that the coalition wants to find common ground on five points and participants are "gradually approaching an agreement"
Kyiv • UNN
A summit of Ukraine's allies is taking place in Paris, where EU leaders may prepare a joint statement on security guarantees. Progress is expected in defining the guarantees that allies can provide, as well as discussing a peace plan.
Today, as a summit of Ukraine's allies gathers in Paris, final approval of documents is not expected, but EU leaders may well prepare a joint statement on security guarantees, and a representative of the Élysée Palace stated before the summit that "we are finalizing the conference documents," Politico reports, writes UNN.
Details
According to an official from the Élysée Palace, the meeting aims, in particular, to deepen the alignment between Ukraine, Europe, and the United States on how to end Russia's war, and progress is expected in determining what specific guarantees the allies can provide.
In this context, America's participation is crucial, the same official said. An EU official claimed that "any attempt to shift attention to Greenland risks igniting Trump's anger."
"Keeping Greenland out of it may suit many Europeans, as well as Americans," the publication points out. Amidst Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement late last year that Ukraine and the United States were "90 percent" of the way to a final peace proposal for Russia, Europeans, the publication writes, "are desperate to avoid derailing the process - no matter what Trump says or does about Greenland."
"We sought to bring the Americans closer to us, never accepting that the US would abandon Ukraine," an Élysée Palace official said. "We have achieved this act of restoring rapprochement between Ukraine, Europe, and America."
Although Trump's Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as indicated, will not attend this meeting of the coalition of the willing, his special envoy Steve Witkoff will be there along with US President's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Also present will be many prominent heads of state and government from countries supporting Ukraine, as well as high-ranking EU officials - Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa, and Kaja Kallas. Zelenskyy, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will also join. Even Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who is not a supporter of aid to Ukraine, will be present at the event, according to the list of participants seen by the publication.
The mood is one of anticipation. According to an EU official, participants are gradually approaching an agreement on "six or seven different documents" concerning various aspects of a ceasefire and post-war structure. These include a 20-point peace plan developed jointly by the EU and the US, a document on security guarantees, and another on economic prosperity. All of them must be signed by all parties, including Russia. Although final approval of the documents is not expected today, EU leaders may well prepare a joint statement on security guarantees
An Élysée Palace representative stated:
The coalition wants to find common ground on five points: how a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine will be monitored; military support for Ukraine's armed forces; multinational "assurance forces" in Ukraine after the war; a commitment to support Kyiv if Moscow violates the ceasefire; and long-term defense cooperation agreements with Ukraine.
The French, as indicated, "hope to solidify US commitments to security guarantees, including the long-awaited American 'backstop'."
"We are finalizing the conference documents," not only on the principles of security guarantees, but also on how operational they will be
According to a British official, "the statement could be based on the statement published in December after the Berlin summit."
According to a European diplomat, "the US detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro may well emerge on the sidelines." "But French President Emmanuel Macron does not want Venezuela to spoil the fragile agreement between Washington and the Europeans on Ukraine," the publication writes.
"European leaders and officials may be relieved to avoid further transatlantic divisions. The bloc has just barely finalized a deal to provide Ukraine with a 90 billion euro loan. Its main goal is a fair and swift end to the war in Ukraine. Greenland is an unwelcome distraction that threatens to collapse the entire fragile structure," the publication states.
As indicated, the College of European Commissioners is expected to vote on the proposal to provide Ukraine with this loan this month, a European Commission spokesperson announced on Monday. Also in January, it is noted, it plans to adopt a proposal that will define the terms of the loan, and another on amending the rules of the EU's long-term budget to allow Brussels to provide loans to a third country. "So, when will Kyiv receive the money? The first tranche is still expected no later than the second quarter of 2026," according to the spokesperson.
"Maintaining the agreement with Washington on Ukraine outweighs all other priorities. Greenland, US sanctions against EU officials - all this takes a back seat. For now," the publication concludes.