Zelenskyy's allies fear a new Russian offensive in Ukraine - Bloomberg

European leaders are increasingly concerned about a new Russian offensive in Ukraine as they meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss security guarantees for his country. This was reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.

Details

At a Security Council meeting in Toulon last week, German and French officials discussed the concentration of Russian troops near Pokrovsk, a Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Donetsk region.

On Friday, Zelenskyy stated that Russia had deployed 100,000 troops to the front line near the city, which Kremlin forces have been trying to encircle and capture unsuccessfully for over a year.

The capture of Pokrovsk would open the way for a Russian offensive on the much larger cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, as Moscow seeks to control the entire Donetsk region.

The meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing in the French capital will aim to finalize negotiations at the European level on security guarantees for post-war Ukraine, people familiar with the situation said.

Leaders will also discuss the situation with Donald Trump.

According to sources, Europeans will likely want to clarify specific commitments regarding the US contribution to these guarantees and push Washington to strengthen sanctions against Russia, as Putin shows no signs of wanting to meet with Zelenskyy anytime soon.

The French want the meeting to send a signal that Europe has contributed to supporting Ukraine, and the US president must fulfill his threat to increase pressure on the Kremlin. President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, standing next to Zelenskyy in Paris, that Europe is ready to provide security guarantees to Kyiv.

The prime ministers of the Netherlands and Poland are expected to attend the meeting in Paris along with Zelenskyy, while the leaders of Great Britain, Italy, and Germany, as well as US special envoy Steve Witkoff, will join via video conference, sources said.

Despite Trump's recent efforts to mediate an end to Russia's full-scale invasion, including a meeting with Putin in Alaska last month, Moscow has shown no willingness to commit to a ceasefire. Although the US president has threatened sanctions to pressure Russia, he has so far refrained from imposing them.

Addition

On September 4, a summit of the "volunteer coalition" on security guarantees for Ukraine will take place in Paris. Participants plan to discuss additional sanctions against Russia during a conversation with Donald Trump.