(Corrects first name of Ukrainian president to Volodymyr, paragraph 5)
PARIS (Reuters) -France will host a mostly virtual meeting on Thursday of some 30 countries to discuss their latest efforts to provide Ukraine with security support once there is a peace agreement with Russia and to denounce Moscow’s unwillingness for negotiations.
“Following the meeting held between Europeans and Americans in Washington on August 18, the heads of state and government will discuss the work on security guarantees for Ukraine conducted in recent weeks and will take stock of the consequences of Russia’s persistent refusal to make peace,” President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement on Monday.
The so-called “coalition of the willing” put together by France and Britain in February has held talks for months at various levels to try to define plans for what they could contribute militarily for Ukraine to deter Russia from attacking it again once there is a final truce.
Those efforts have stalled in recent months as governments have said any European military role in or around Ukraine would need its own U.S. security guarantees as a backstop, but there had been very little sign that the administration of President Donald Trump would provide those.
Thursday’s meeting will take stock of recent planning by army chiefs, but also underscore to Trump that since he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in August there has been no progress in holding direct talks between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, diplomats said.
Zelenskiy is due to travel to Paris on Thursday, although at this stage most of the leaders’ participation will be virtual. It was not clear whether the U.S. would attend, although diplomats said Washington would at the very least be debriefed afterwards.
ZELENSKIY THANKS MACRON, SPEAKS TO NATO HEAD RUTTE
Zelenskiy, writing on the X social media platform, thanked Macron for his “steadfast support” and said a response was needed for Russia “dragging their feet and prolonging the war”.
In a further comment on Telegram, Zelenskiy said he had spoken to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about coordinating efforts.
“Russia has stolen from peace, brazenly taking away a significant part of this year,” he wrote. “This autumn, we must do everything possible to strengthen our positions.”
The coalition is made up largely of European Union countries, but also includes Turkey, Canada and Australia.
Trump in August appeared for the first time to open the door to some U.S. military involvement in post-war Ukraine, including air support, as long as Europe stepped up its planning.
Macron said on Friday that contributions from the coalition of willing countries for post-war Ukraine would centre on strengthening its army to see who and how it would be trained, financed and equipped.
It would also consider the creation of a “reassurance force” outlining what countries would be ready to send and in what capacity, whether land, sea or air.
A final element entails support forces positioned in countries neighbouring Ukraine.
(Reporting by John Irish; Writing by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Makini Brice and Sharon Singleton)
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