Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the efforts of his fellow world leaders after a “Coalition of the Willing” meeting held in Paris saw over 30 countries participate in-person or online to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. Steve Witkoff, who President Donald Trump has assigned to serve as an envoy in the peace talks, was in attendance.
After the meeting co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who dialled-in virtually, Zelensky said “over 30 countries, all united by the same goal” had united to “make a contribution to ensuring security on land, at sea, in the air, and in cyberspace.” The collective effort is forging ahead in hopes of securing a “reliable” and lasting peace for Ukraine amid the war with Russia.
U.S. President Donald Trump dialled into the meeting, and later received a “special thanks” from Zelensky.
“I would like to give special thanks to President Trump for all his efforts to end this war and for America’s readiness to provide support to Ukraine on its part,” said Zelensky in an update shared online.
It’s understood Trump emphasized to the Coalition that the E.U. should stop purchasing Russian oil, citing concern it is funding the war.
This comes after Trump said on Wednesday that he remains committed to pursuing a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. “Something is going to happen, but they are not ready yet. But something is going to happen. We are going to get it done,” he’s quoted as telling CBS News.
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When addressing local media after the meeting, both Zelensky and Macron accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of delaying the negotiation process. Macron also confirmed that Trump supports the planned security measures discussed, and suggested the U.S. would join the coalition in taking action against Russia, should it not facilitate a one-on-one meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
“If Moscow doesn’t want to respect these conditions, we will have to take further steps with the U.S.,” warned Macron. “The key argument here is that there are no limitations for the defence of Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, 26 leaders have committed to deploying troops in Ukraine to serve as a “reassurance force” once the conflict with Russia ends, Macron announced.
In a statement shared with TIME after the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said Starmer had “emphasised that the group had an unbreakable pledge to Ukraine, with President Trump’s backing, and it was clear they now needed to go even further to apply pressure on Putin to secure a cessation of hostilities.”
“The Prime Minister also welcomed announcements from Coalition of the Willing partners to supply long range missiles to Ukraine to further bolster the country’s supplies.”
Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said the security measures were needed to “underpin any cease-fire or peace agreement.” He said the guarantees will “take a number of forms, from an ‘assurance force’ that some other countries are ready to join, to further training for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.”
“Leaders also reflected today on the importance of U.S. engagement in the search for peace in Ukraine,” added Martin, arguing that sanctions on Russia are needed to increase pressure on Moscow.
Trump has been pushing for a possible meeting between Putin and Zelensky, but Moscow has consistently rejected the idea, insisting that discussions between the two leaders can be carried out via delegated officials.
Putin did agree to meet with Trump for a “high-stakes” summit in Alaska in August, their first in-person meeting since 2019. The summit was intended to foster discussions about a path toward a potential cease-fire, but it ended earlier than expected and without any deal being reached. Critics argued that Moscow left the meeting with more wins than the U.S. President.
Trump hosted Zelensky and key European leaders at the White House for a debrief shortly after. Trump later offered assurances that the U.S. would not send American troops to Ukraine as part of any peace agreement with Russia, but may instead provide assistance from the air, “because there’s nobody that has the kind of stuff we have.”
Since the summit in Alaska, Russia has continued its bombardment of Ukraine, launching barrages of missile and drone strikes across the country. One of the most significant attacks was overnight on Kyiv on Aug. 28, in which at least 19 people were killed and the offices of the European Commission mission and the British Council were significantly damaged.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, joined a chorus of world leaders in condemning the attacks.
“Russia must stop its indiscriminatory attacks on civilian infrastructure immediately and join negotiations for a just and lasting peace,” she said.
Days later, von der Leyen’s plane fell victim to suspected Russian GPS jamming while attempting to land in Bulgaria. The flight landed safely, with a source close to the matter telling TIME that pilots resorted to using paper maps.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said that the alleged Russian interference is being taken “very seriously” and NATO is “working day and night to counter this, to prevent it.”
The post Zelensky Hails ‘America’s Readiness to Provide Support to Ukraine’ as World Leaders Map Out Security Guarantees appeared first on TIME.
