Macron hosts Ukraine and allies, seeks to shore up security

French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and the country’s other key allies to step up efforts to agree on security guarantees for Kiev following a ceasefire with Russia.

Heads of state and senior officials from more than 30 countries, part of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” are meeting in Paris, including U.S. peace talks mediator Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Zelensky recently met with Trump and said 90% agree with plans to end war with Russia.

However, these proposals have not yet been submitted to Russia, whose response so far has been far from encouraging.

Ten percent of the undecided deal involves territorial concessions that Kyiv is required to agree to.

Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region and about 99% of the neighboring Lugansk region. These two regions make up the industrial zone of Donbass.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Recent progress has been slow and it is unwilling to compromise on its goal of fully controlling Donbass.

Russia has also consistently opposed the idea of ​​any temporary ceasefire and has stepped up attacks on Ukraine, particularly aimed at paralyzing its electricity supply during the harsh winter.

Ukraine has also struck back with drones – the latest targeting an oil depot in Russia’s western Lipetsk region.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte were among the attendees of the Paris meeting.

Leaders are expected to seek agreement on details including sending a multinational force to pacify Ukraine after a peace deal, what security guarantees will be provided to Ukraine in the event of another Russian attack, and help for Ukraine’s armed forces and its economy.

So-called “safeguards” have been on the agenda for months – Ukraine’s European allies want a commitment from the United States to participate in responding to Russia if it violates the terms of the peace deal.

After Zelensky and Trump met in Florida last month, the Ukrainian leader said Washington had provided security guarantees for 15 years but that the time frame for implementation was unclear.

The aftermath of the Paris talks has cast a shadow over the Paris talks. U.S. military operations in VenezuelaElite troops moved in to capture the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and brought him to New York to face drug and weapons charges.

After the attack, Trump said the United States would “manage” Venezuela for an unspecified period of time.

He also said that the United States is returning to its hegemonic policy in the Western Hemisphere’s sphere of influence in the last century.

During the Paris talks, Trump later insisted: The United States wants to annex Greenland – Semi-autonomous territory that is part of NATO ally Denmark.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has repeatedly threatened Any such move by the United States This would be the end of the transatlantic alliance.

European leaders have been reluctant to criticize Trump’s intervention in Venezuela and its impact on the world order.

But many, including Starmer and Macron, support Denmark on Greenland.

As host of the talks, Macron wants to keep the issue from diverting attention from Ukraine.