At the Elysée in Paris, the “Summit of the Willing”. A summit, with representatives of about thirty countries allied with Ukraine, convened with the aim of finalizing security guarantees for Kiev.
Among the leaders invited by French President Emmanuel Macron , there is also Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , as well as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer , Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz . And also: Poland's Donald Tusk, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, as well as the head of the Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte.
On the occasion, Macron announced additional military aid from France for 2 billion euros. Not only that: "We have unanimously decided that it is not the time to lift the sanctions, whatever they are," said the French president at the end of the summit. Adding: "A policy of lifting sanctions before peace is clearly achieved makes no sense."
Macron then announced: "There will be a 'reassurance force' made up of several European countries in the event of peace being achieved in Ukraine." This force, Macron added, will be based "in some strategic places" in Ukraine. and "a deterrent character against potential Russian aggression." However, "they will not be intended to be peacekeeping forces, they will not be forces present on the line of contact nor intended to replace the Ukrainian army," he explained. On the sending of soldiers, however, there is no unanimity of views among the allies.
"It is now important to be able to extend the partial ceasefire to civilian infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, with the aim of reaching a total ceasefire," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed during the summit. The Prime Minister reiterated that no national participation is foreseen in a possible military force on the ground and "the importance of continuing to work with the United States to stop the conflict and reach a peace that ensures the sovereignty and security of Ukraine, hoping for the involvement of an American delegation in the next coordination meeting."
The summit, in short, formally confirmed its support for Kiev, considering that Russia's willingness to negotiate peace is only a "sham" . Moscow, however, is counterattacking, targeting France and Great Britain: "London and Paris - say Kremlin spokesmen - continue to devise plans for military intervention in Ukraine disguised as a sort of peacekeeping mission".
(Unioneonline/lf)