Western leaders have held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris over the prospect of providing security guarantees in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
The summit in Paris on Thursday brings together leaders from Europe, Australia, Japan and Canada, as well as Zelenskyy and United States envoy Steve Witkoff. Even as negotiations over a ceasefire continue to stall, however, the bid to agree security guarantees for Kyiv remains mired in uncertainty.
The summit is expected to discuss the number of troops those countries included in the “coalition of the willing” could commit, to make sure any agreement between Russia and Ukraine would hold.
However, President Donald Trump’s continued reluctance to commit troops, and Russia’s opposition to the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine, weigh heavily on the discussions.
Headed by France and the United Kingdom, the leaders of the “coalition” countries are hoping to do enough to persuade Trump to back their efforts, and make good on a promise to offer US military support.
Before the meeting, Witkoff met senior European officials, the Reuters news agency reported, quoting two diplomats.
NATO chief Mark Rutte insisted on Thursday that Russia does not have a say on any deployment of troops in Ukraine.
“Why are we interested in what Russia thinks about troops in Ukraine? It’s a sovereign country. It’s not for them to decide,” he said.
“If Ukraine wants to have security guarantee forces in Ukraine to support a peace deal, it’s up to them. Nobody else can decide about it,” Rutte said during a visit to Prague.
The previous day, French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking alongside Zelenskyy in Paris, said the coalition leaders would endorse plans for security guarantees drawn up by their militaries.
Credit: aljazeera.com
