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Technical work on the security guarantees for Ukraine is advanced enough that allies now only need confirmation of US support, the Elysée said on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing’ later this week.
According to the French presidential palace, most of the technical work which started following the first meeting of the coalition in mid-February to ensure Ukraine can deter further aggression attempts following a ceasefire, is now almost completed.
This includes work on how to consolidate the Ukrainian armed forces over the long term so that it remains in a position of strength, as well as the deployment of an international reassurance force in no-contact areas across the country.
The key message that will be conveyed on Thursday is that, given the progress made, “we are willing and able, and we are ready,” the Elysée said. “What we will be looking for on Thursday is confirmation that the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ does indeed have the support of the US.”
US President Donald Trump has made clear that Europeans will need to shoulder most of the burden when it comes to security guarantees and that he will not send any American troops on the ground as part of the reassurance force. But he did, following meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and European leaders in Washington, declare himself ready to provide a backstop to European efforts.
This could take the form of air and missile cover as well as more intelligence sharing, which some European countries have said they need certainty over before signing up to some of the guarantees.
The Elysée would not be drawn to comment on what the security guarantees drawn up by allies will entail in detail, but stressed that “we now have enough contributions to be able to tell the Americans that we are ready to take on our responsibilities, provided that they take on theirs”.
The meeting, convened by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, was organised following a request by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy due to the expiry of the deadline set by Trump for Putin to agree to a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.
One of the other aims for the 30, mostly European leaders, who are set to take part in the meeting, will be to show that they have respected their commitments, and that Trump should do the same by proceeding with his threat to “punish” Putin, the Elysée said.
Zelenskyy will attend the meeting from Paris, following a one-on-one meeting with Macron the night before. They will also be joined on Thursday morning by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Putin, meanwhile, is currently in China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping to take part in WWII commemorations, alongside North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
China, North Korea, and to a lesser extent India, have been criticised by Western allies for enabling the Russian war machine in Ukraine.
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