French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the end of the press conference following a bilateral meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, March 26, 2025. YOAN VALAT/Pool via REUTERS
PARIS (Reuters) -France pledged 2 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine as some 30 leaders met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Paris on Thursday to discuss strengthening Kyiv's position and what role they might play if a peace deal is struck with Russia.
It was the third summit of what France and Britain have called the "coalition of the willing", reflecting concern among Europeans that the U.S. no longer represents a firm bulwark of support for Ukraine in its three-year-old fight against Russia.
Among those attending were the British, Polish and Italian prime ministers as well as the NATO secretary-general and Turkish vice president.
The gathering was taking place after Zelenskiy agreed earlier this month to proceed with ceasefire talks to ensure a resumption of U.S. aid and intelligence sharing.
U.S. President Donald Trump, in office since January 20, has said he wants to broker a swift end to the war. But a series of bilateral talks between the U.S. and the warring sides has yet to yield a significant change in hostilities.
Russia and Ukraine said on March 18 they agreed to cease strikes on each other's energy infrastructure but both sides have accused each other of flouting that limited truce.
"First and foremost (we will discuss) the immediate support for Ukraine. It must go on because it is necessary to continue the resistance," President Emmanuel Macron told reporters on Wednesday evening at a press conference with Zelenskiy.
Macron committed to a further 2 billion euros in French military support, including missiles, warplanes and air defence equipment. Zelenskiy said other partners could announce aid packages on Thursday.
The summit format aims to forge a role for Europe in any talks on ending the conflict. While the United States is not present, French officials say the outcome of the gathering will be shared with the U.S. administration.
Macron spoke with Trump ahead of the meeting, the French presidency said.
The discussions will focus on how to strengthen Ukraine militarily to deter future attacks, and how to monitor limited ceasefires over sea targets and energy infrastructure as discussed at U.S.-led talks this week in Saudi Arabia.
Washington said on Tuesday it had signed separate agreements with Moscow and Kyiv for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, but Russia presented conditions. They included a demand that sanctions be lifted on Russian state agricultural lender Rosselkhozbank and that it be reconnected to the international payment system SWIFT.
The European Union, which ejected Rosselkhozbank from SWIFT, said on Wednesday it can be reinstated only when Russia withdraws its troops from Ukraine.
REASSURANCE FORCE
European efforts, led by Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to create security arrangements for Ukraine are shifting from sending troops to considering alternatives as they face political and logistical constraints, and the prospect of Russia and the United States opposing their plans, officials have told Reuters.
"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," Starmer's office said in a statement.
Planning so far has looked at European military capabilities including aircraft, tanks, troops, intelligence and logistics. Discussions have centred on what European nations can contribute to support any future force, it said.
An outline document for Thursday's summit seen by Reuters refers to a possible future "reassurance force" that would have the support of the United States.
Such a force positioned in Ukraine would aim to offer security guarantees and deter future aggression from Russia, although there are few signs at this stage that the United States would offer its backing.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused France and Britain on Thursday of hatching plans for "military intervention in Ukraine" under the guise of a peacekeeping mission, adding such an intervention could lead to a direct military clash between Russia and NATO.
Zelenskiy said he hoped there would be more clarity on which countries would eventually commit to such a force, while acknowledging that it was not simple and was early in the process.
Highlighting different views among Ukraine's partners, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reiterated his country's opposition to any such 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 on Wednesday evening.
(Additional reporting by Angelo Amante in Rome and William James in LondonEditing by Rod Nickel and Frances Kerry)
