On September 4, the leaders of the European Union and NATO will meet in Paris to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. According to The Financial Times citing three diplomats, the meeting will take place at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to the publication, the same leaders who met in Washington on August 18 will gather for the summit. At that time, the President of France Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni, President of Finland Alexander Stubb, Prime Minister of the UK Keir Starmer, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte flew to the U.S. capital.
Among the participants of the meeting in France will be Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, Prime Minister of the UK Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
Earlier, Ursula von der Leyen stated that last week the heads of the defense ministries of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" developed quite precise plans during their meeting, which include discussions on "necessary elements for effective troop build-up."
FT notes that Ukraine demands specific security guarantees from its Western allies, including troops on the ground as part of any peace agreement. Moreover, the forces may consist of tens of thousands of European military personnel, supported by the U.S., including command and control systems, as well as intelligence and surveillance assets.
The publication reminds that these agreements were reached last month during a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders.
FT added that Ukrainian President Zelensky may join the European leaders in Paris, but there is still no official information about this.