Paris (France) (AFP) – Key European allies of Ukraine and top US envoys met in Paris on Tuesday and were expected to announce Washington would lead ceasefire monitoring if a peace deal is reached to end Russia’s war against its neighbour. The summit of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” is focused on security guarantees Ukraine requires in the event of a ceasefire to deter further Russian aggression. A draft statement seen by AFP before the talks started said the United States would lead a “ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism” with European participation if a peace deal is agreed.
Washington would commit to “support” a European-led multinational force — deployed in Ukraine after any ceasefire — “in case of” a new attack by Russia, the draft statement added. Representatives of 35 countries, including 27 heads of state or government — including the leaders of Britain, Canada, Germany, and Italy — took part in the summit, which the French presidency said would demonstrate the “alignment” between Washington, Kyiv, and European allies on security guarantees for Ukraine.
US-led diplomatic efforts to reach a deal have ramped up in recent weeks. But this meeting is being held amid relentless fighting in Ukraine almost four years into Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. The capture by US forces of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, an ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has unsettled some European countries and added a potential new element of transatlantic uncertainty. US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner travelled to Paris for the meeting of the coalition, launched last year by France and Britain.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Elysee Palace for a one-to-one meeting before the summit. Some members of the coalition aim to send a multinational force to Ukraine to deter any future Russian attack if the war sparked by Russia’s February 2022 invasion ends. But Ukraine and Russia remain at odds over territory in a post-war settlement. Russia has also repeatedly opposed any NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine to monitor a halt in hostilities.
European leaders have been at pains to not firmly condemn the US military operation to grab Maduro, while expressing discomfort at the implications for international law. Before leaving for Paris, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the aim of the meeting was to “align the European and American positions.” He said “only that kind of pressure has a chance of forcing the Russians to take the issue of a ceasefire, and then peace, seriously.” He warned, though, against expecting final decisions to be made in Paris.
An adviser to Macron on Monday said the meeting was the culmination of efforts launched after Trump’s arrival at the White House to prevent “the United States from abandoning Ukraine.” To lay the groundwork, security advisers from 15 countries, including Britain, France, and Germany as well as representatives from NATO and the European Union, gathered in Kyiv over the weekend, with Witkoff joining virtually.
Kyiv said in recent days a deal was “90 percent” ready. But Russia, which occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine, is pushing for full control of the country’s eastern Donbas region as part of a deal. Kyiv has warned ceding ground will embolden Moscow and said it will not sign a peace deal that fails to deter Russia from invading again. Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday said diplomatic efforts were being waged “under difficult conditions.”
“Russia is showing little willingness to negotiate; President Zelensky is struggling to maintain unity among Ukrainians, and transatlantic cooperation has changed profoundly,” he wrote in a letter to lawmakers, a copy of which AFP obtained on Tuesday. “We want a ceasefire that preserves Ukraine’s sovereignty. We therefore want such a ceasefire…to be backed by security guarantees from the US and Europe.”
© 2024 AFP
