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Several European countries say they are ready to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, said Emmanuel Macron during his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, on the eve of a summit of the “volunteer coalition” in Paris. According to him, everything is ready, but the content of these guarantees remains confidential for the moment. The “volunteer coalition” meets this September 4 in Paris.
French president Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky will welcome Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Danish Prime Minister Put Frederiksen and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will travel, while other leaders will intervene remotely.
At 2 p.m. (Paris time), a distance exchange with American president Donald Trump is planned, followed by a press conference at 3 p.m. at the Palais de l’Elysée. The day before this summit, Macron stressed that it was already the eighth visit of Zelensky in Paris. The French head of state said that the security guarantees were now ready, the result of the work carried out by the European defense ministries, but said that he could not reveal the details at this stage. “The contributions that were prepared, documented, confirmed this afternoon at the level of the defense ministers, in an extremely confidential manner, allow me to say: here, this preparation work is completed. He will now be politically endorsed, “he said.
Le Figaro has published a summary of the security tracks envisaged for kyiv by the Allies: the maintenance of military aid, additional training, financial support, the possible limited deployment of troops, as well as maritime and air systems. A discretion that questions: do these guarantees really exist? According to the Financial Times, Europe remains divided on the possible sending of troops to Ukraine in the context of future so -called peacekeeping missions. Thus, according to the British daily newspaper, three blocks are taking shape within the coalition: supporters of a commitment, like the United Kingdom; opponents, like Italy; and the undecided, including Germany.
These differences make it difficult to develop a common strategy. Zelensky, aware of this fragility, recognized in Paris that the coalition was content for the moment of promises, without going to acts. “Security guarantees” or “danger guarantees”? Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reacted to European discussions. According to her, the “security guarantees” claimed by Zelensky are nothing protective and, on the contrary, constitute “guarantees of danger”. She considered that any additional help would only extend “the agony of the kyiv regime”, by accentuating the risks of climbing and threats to regional stability. The diplomat recalled that Russia refused any foreign intervention in Ukraine, deemed unacceptable in any form.