Leaders of the "coalition of the willing" gather in Paris, discussions focused on the war in Ukraine! Zelensky: You must be with us!

Leaders from more than 30 countries have met in Paris for crucial discussions as part of a "coalition of the willing" aimed at bolstering support for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire or US-brokered peace deal to end the three-year war.

The summit was hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and was attended by European leaders, as well as representatives from Canada and Turkey. They discussed the format of any future security guarantees they might offer Kiev, but also coordination on issues being discussed in the US-brokered negotiations, including Russia's demand for sanctions relief.

According to the summit agenda, seen by Radio Free Europe, the leaders discussed further combat aid for Ukraine, the preservation and monitoring of any ceasefire agreements, including the recently reached Black Sea ceasefire, and how to finance and equip the Ukrainian military in the long term. The summit also discussed the deployment of a European security force in Ukraine as part of a broader peace agreement.

Ahead of the summit, after a meeting with Macron in Paris, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukraine's partners to be "at least as steadfast as we are" in the face of Russia's conditions for implementing a ceasefire agreement in the Black Sea. Zelensky said he had agreed to continue ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia to secure the resumption of US aid and intelligence sharing.

The White House said the talks produced an agreement “to develop measures to implement” recent pledges to stop attacks on energy facilities and a ceasefire in the Black Sea. But Russia is demanding a series of conditions, including sanctions relief, be met in exchange for respecting the agreement.

"We have demonstrated our resilience. Now it is important that our partners are as resilient as we are, even though they have more capabilities," Zelensky said.

Amid a US-led diplomatic storm to end the war in Ukraine, European leaders are trying to secure a seat at the negotiating table, but have so far been kept out of rounds of talks involving Moscow, Kiev and Washington.

Macron said the creation of a European security force would be discussed at the March 27 summit, but he stressed that it would not be on the front lines and would not be tasked with monitoring or enforcing a ceasefire — a task he suggested falls to United Nations peacekeepers. He said the force would be deployed inside Ukraine to deter Russia and provide training and support to Ukrainian forces.

A few hours before the meeting in Paris, Macron announced that France would provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth 2 billion euros, which would include anti-tank missiles, air defense systems, Mirage fighter jets, armored vehicles, ammunition and other aid.

"We must continue to provide immediate support to Ukraine. It is important that the resistance continues ," Macron said after announcing the new aid package.

The initiative to create a coalition was first presented by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a March 2 summit in London, when European and world leaders discussed support for Kiev. More than 30 countries that are members of the European Union and NATO have expressed their willingness to contribute to a coalition peacekeeping force. Macron has accused Russia of showing a “lust for war” and insisted that Moscow should accept the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire “without any preconditions.”

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters during a visit to Jamaica, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington will assess Moscow's conditions.

"We will evaluate them. Some of the conditions include sanctions that are not ours, they are the EU's," Rubio said on March 26.

However, Macron said that Paris will not lift the sanctions because “it is too early for that.” These statements were made on the same day that the EU said in a statement that the “unconditional” withdrawal of Russian forces from all of Ukraine remains one of the main conditions for easing the sanctions that Brussels has imposed on Moscow.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, during an interview with Fox News on March 26, stated that he believes Trump "will not hesitate to tighten sanctions if it gives him an advantage in negotiations."

He said that easing or tightening sanctions will depend on the actions taken by the Russian leadership./ REL