FRANCE has announced a commitment of 2 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine as about 30 leaders arrive with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris on Thursday, March 27, to discuss bolstering Kyiv’s position and exploring their potential roles in a future peace agreement with Russia.
The ICIR reports that the third summit of what France and Britain refer to as the “Coalition of the Willing” brings together key leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.
French President Emmanuel Macron revealed the latest development to reporters on Wednesday evening during a press conference with Zelensky, noting that the commitment included missiles, warplanes and air defence equipment.
“First and foremost (we will discuss) the immediate support for Ukraine. It must go on because it is necessary to continue the resistance,” he said.
“The objective is to allow Ukraine to keep the situation on the ground and resist the Russian aggression while building the credible elements to this lasting peace,” Macron said.
French officials said that the meeting aimed to define Europe’s role in negotiations to end the conflict, emphasising that while the United States was not participating, the summit’s outcome would be shared with the United States Government.
The officials said that the discussions would centre on strengthening Ukraine’s military to deter future attacks and monitoring the limited ceasefires on sea targets and energy infrastructure, as addressed during the United States-led talks in Saudi Arabia this week.
“The Prime Minister will underline that all must come together to support Ukraine to remain in the fight and back US efforts to make real progress despite continued Russian obfuscation,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said in a statement.
The statement added that planning had explored the full spectrum of European military capabilities, including aircraft, tanks, troops, intelligence, and logistics, as discussions have focused on what European nations can contribute to support any future force.
Responding, Zelensky expressed hope for greater clarity on which countries would ultimately commit to such a force. While acknowledging that the process was still in its early stages, he noted that other partners might announce aid packages on Thursday.
Highlighting differing views among Ukraine’s partners, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reaffirmed his country’s opposition to the proposed force.
“Not sending troops on a mission unless they are part of the United Nations, (this) is the only condition for us to deploy military personnel” in Ukraine, Tajani said after a cabinet meeting Wednesday evening.
However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday accused France and Britain of plotting a “military intervention in Ukraine” under the pretext of a peacekeeping mission, warning that such actions could result in a direct military confrontation between Russia and NATO.
The ICIR reports that this commitment comes after Zelensky agreed earlier this month to move forward with ceasefire talks to facilitate the resumption of US aid and intelligence sharing.
Meanwhile, Russia has imposed additional conditions on implementing a ceasefire deal in the Black Sea and energy targets, while many European nations remain skeptical about the likelihood of a peace agreement soon.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.