Leaders gather in Paris for Ukraine summit

ISTANBUL

Leaders gathered Thursday in Paris for a “coalition of the willing” summit to discuss military support and security guarantees for Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Spanish President Pedro Sanchez, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk were among the leaders who arrived at the summit at the Elysee Palace.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also took part in the meeting, which brings together around 30 delegations.

The talks aim to strengthen Ukraine’s position in negotiations with Russia and ensure that Europe has a voice in shaping a potential peace agreement.

"The objective is to allow Ukraine to keep the situation on the ground and resist the Russian aggression, while building credible elements for a lasting peace," French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday evening during a joint press conference with Zelenskyy.

"We are expecting some new and strong decisions. We need to move forward on security guarantee discussions and the presence in Ukraine of partner contingents," Zelensky added.

This is the third such summit since the new US administration shifted the Ukraine policy and began direct negotiations with Russia without European participation.