Ukraine’s top allies meet in Paris to push for Kyiv’s security guarantees

The ‘coalition of the willing’ tries to lay groundwork for ceasefire and end to Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s key allies are meeting in Paris to discuss security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a ceasefire with Russia as national leaders and diplomats work to bring an end to the nearly four-year war through a United States-brokered peace plan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was joined by representatives from 35 countries in the French capital on Tuesday, including 27 heads of state.

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Senior US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are also in attendance as part of broader efforts to put together a common Ukrainian, European and US position that could then be taken to Russia.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has been accused of bending to the Kremlin’s narrative and President Vladimir Putin’s maximalist demands to end the war.

The meeting of the group of Ukrainian allies, called the “coalition of the willing”, is the latest of several meetings planned for the new year as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have gained pace in recent weeks.

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed optimism about the meeting with the focus set to be on providing Ukraine with security guarantees to deter any future Russian aggression should it agree to a ceasefire.

But prospects for progress are uncertain as the Trump administration’s focus has now shifted to Venezuela after US forces abducted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Saturday.

There have also been few signals that Russia would be willing to accept the current proposals on the table. The issue of who holds what territory remains a key obstacle to negotiations, and fighting between the two sides shows no signs of abating.

Russia, which occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine, is pushing for full control of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas area as part of a deal. The Donbas is made up of two regions. Moscow controls all of its Luhansk region, but Kyiv still holds a significant part of its Donetsk region, where attritional fighting is ongoing.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly warned that ceding territory would embolden Moscow and said he will not sign a peace deal that fails to deter Russia from invading again. Giving up Ukrainian land is also forbidden by the nation’s constitution.