Gathered in Paris, the leaders of the “coalition of the willing” reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and agreed that “now is not the time” to lift sanctions against Russia. However, they failed to reach an agreement on sending troops to guarantee a potential ceasefire: France and the United Kingdom are in favor, while other European countries remain unconvinced. Italy, under Giorgia Meloni’s leadership, firmly said no and called for the United States, led by Donald Trump, to be invited to the next meeting. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was also present in Paris, insists on having external troop guarantees.
According to the host, French President Emmanuel Macron, the meeting — attended by more than two dozen heads of state and governments — unanimously agreed that sanctions on Moscow should not be eased until “peace has been clearly established” in Ukraine.
This was the third meeting — and the second in person — of the “coalition of the willing” for Ukraine. It was convened amid growing concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump may be ready to ease sanctions to convince Russia to accept a partial ceasefire agreement.
According to the Financial Times, several voices from the government in Kyiv expressed serious concerns about the results achieved by Washington negotiators during the talks in Saudi Arabia. These talks were supposed, in the White House’s view, to initiate a partial truce in the Black Sea conflict and on attacks against energy infrastructure. However, sources from Kyiv said, “there are no clear rules, the terms of the agreements keep changing behind our backs. There is no transparent, guaranteed monitoring system: it is unclear who can testify to the validity of accusations against those who violate the truce and what the consequences are.” Zelensky and his ministers, however, are eager to avoid confrontation with the White House at all costs. The experience of February 28 — the humiliation of the argument in the Oval Office broadcast worldwide live from Washington and the subsequent but temporary loss of U.S. intelligence information — remains a painful memory.
“Ukraine had the courage to accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire,” Macron said after the Paris summit, which was also attended by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the presidents of the European Commission and Council. “Since Ukraine announced this decision, there has been no response from Russia,” Macron added. “There have only been new conditions imposed [by Moscow] for a much more limited and hypothetical ceasefire.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that there was “absolute clarity” on the importance of not lifting sanctions. On the contrary, he said, leaders discussed how to increase sanctions to “support the U.S. initiative to bring Russia to the negotiating table” with further pressure.
Starmer added that he does not believe Vladimir Putin is negotiating in good faith. “It is clear that the Russians are playing for time,” Starmer said. “They are playing games and stalling. It’s a classic from Putin’s playbook.”
