Ukraine: Allies endorse 'robust' security guarantees

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the UK and France would establish military hubs in Ukraine in the event of a truce.

“We signed a declaration of intent on the deployment of forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal," Starmer said, adding that it is "a vital part of our commitment to stand with Ukraine for the long-term."

"We discussed these issues in detail today, and so I can say that following a ceasefire, the UK and France will establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons of military equipment to support Ukraine’s defensive needs," Starmer said.

He went on to say that the UK would participate in any US-led monitoring of any ceasefire and support the long-term provision of arms for Ukraine’s defense.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the security guarantees agreed to by Kyiv's allies in Paris.

"It's important that today the coalition has substantive documents. These are not just words. There is concrete content: a joint declaration by all the coalition countries and a trilateral declaration by France, Britain, and Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.

In a post on social media, Zelenskyy said that the three countries had worked "in detail on force deployment, numbers, specific types of weapons, and the components of the Armed Forces required and able to operate effectively.

Zelenskyy said that there was already an understanding among members of the "coalition of the willing" regarding "which country is ready for what."

"We had very substantive discussions with the American side on monitoring — to ensure there are no violations of peace," the Ukrainian leader said,

"The United States is ready to work on this. One of the most critical elements is deterrence — the tools that will prevent any new Russian aggression. We see all of this."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has indicated that Germany could be part of a multinational forces to monitor a ceasefire in Ukraine, with troops based in neighboring territory. 

"Germany will keep contributing politically, financially and militarily. This could for example include deploying forces to Ukraine on neighboring NATO territory after a ceasefire," Merz said after a meeting of Ukraine's allies in Paris.

After a monitoring force has been agreed, the government and parliament "will decide on the nature and extent of a German contribution," he said, adding that for now Berlin was "not ruling anything out."

French President Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's allies have agreed on "robust" security guarantees once fighting eventually stops.

Macron said this would see the US lead a ceasefire monitoring mechanism.

Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a declaration of intent that could see Britain, France and other European allies deploying troops on Ukrainian territory after a ceasefire.

French President Emmanuel Macron posted two short comments from the sidelines of Tuesday's talks on social media. 

"Together, we are building a robust security architecture for Ukraine," he wrote in English, French and Ukrainian on X.

In a separate post including a short video montage of handshakes and greetings at the Elysee Palace, Macron called the summit a "historic day for Ukraine and Europe." But at least on that format, he did not elaborate.

The leaders gathering at the snow-covered Elysee palace in Paris are supposed to be laser-focused on Ukraine and how to turn vague pledges to monitor and back up an eventual ceasefire into concrete commitments for Kyiv.

That's still the expected outcome of these talks, but before they even began, a handful of Europe's heavyweights found themselves scrambling to issue a statement in support of Denmark after more talk of the US annexing Greenland.

It's clear those leaders, including Germany's Friedrich Merz, the UK's Keir Starmer and Denmark's Mette Frederiksen, were trying to remain diplomatic — talking about what they've done boost Arctic security and insisting on respect for the UN charter.

But it feels like yet another example of how the US and Europe are simply speaking completely different languages. 

Would the US really try to annex territory of a NATO ally? And how could Denmark and its European partners — still militarily reliant on Washington — ever hope to respond? 

Those are questions European leaders thought they'd never have to ponder — but planning for what was once unthinkable takes up a lot of their time these days.

With leaders and representatives of more than 30 states meeting today in Paris, reports are circulating about possible pledges for Ukraine to come out of the summit. 

Here is what is expected to be discussed in the meeting, according to reports by the AFP and Reuters news agencies citing a draft statement:

• The states participating declaring readiness to provide Ukraine with 'politically and legally binding guarantees' if a ceasefire were to come into effect with Russia
• Coalition of the Willing setting up a multinational force for Ukraine
• US committing to support the force in the event of a Russian attack after a possible ceasefire
• US 'supervising' a potential truce with 'participation' from coalition members

Diplomats expect the proposal to still undergo minor changes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, about his dual approach in the war with Russia: diplomacy and active defense. 

The two held talks before the "most representative meeting" of the so-called Coalition of the Willing in Paris later on Tuesday. 

"Diplomacy and real assistance must go hand in hand," Zelenskyy said in a social media post after his meeting with Macron. 

He added that "every meeting must yield concrete results — new decisions regarding air defense, new assistance packages, and new capabilities to protect the skies."

"Every delivery of air defense missiles saves lives and boosts the chances for diplomacy," Zelenskyy said. 

Tuesday's meeting is expected to focus on details of allies' contributions to future security guarantees to reassure Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with ‌Russia.

The governor of the Lipetsk region in western Russia, Igor Artamonov, said a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at a factory in Usman. 

An official from Ukraine's SBU ​security service later confirmed to Reuters news agency that Ukrainian forces struck an oil depot in ⁠Lipetsk.

A Ukrainian drone attack on Monday had also sparked a fire at an industrial facility in Yelets, another town in the Lipetsk region, according to Artamonov. No casualties were reported in either of the attacks. 

Ukraine has in recent months stepped up attacks on Russia's military and energy infrastructure in retaliation for Moscow's deadly strikes. 

French President Emmanual Macron welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the Elysee Palace ahead of the Coalition of the Willing meeting later Tuesday. 

Macron and Zelenskyy is holding a one-on-one meeting before meeting with other allies later. 

They are also scheduled to have lunch with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

A document circulating among German media outlets shows that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has placed Berlin's support for Ukraine among his agenda for 2026.

The document, a four-page letter sent at the start of the year to members of his governing coalition, outlines the chancellor's priorities for the new year. 

In the letter, Merz reiterated Germany's continued support for Ukraine. 

He said the EU's decision on frozen Russian assets created a financial basis to support Ukraine's defense over the long term.

"Russia must have no doubt about our resolve," the chancellor wrote, while stressing that Berlin would continue to push for a ceasefire that preserved Ukraine's sovereignty.

"Our diplomatic work is being carried out under difficult conditions," he said, noting, among other factors, what he described as profound changes in trans-Atlantic cooperation.

Top officials and representatives of some 35 countries are attending a meeting in Paris of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, a group of Western countries backing Ukraine and working toward ending Russia's war.

What is the meeting about?

According to media reports citing diplomats, the talks will focus on a draft document outlining security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. A multinational force to secure peace between Russia and Ukraine is reportedly in the proposal.

Reuters news agency quoted the French presidency as saying that an agreement had already been reached "on the operational details of the security guarantees."

"We will explain how they are structured and the need for a long-term commitment from everyone involved," the French presidency said, according to Reuters.

French President Emmanuel Macron is due to announce the results of the meeting at a press conference later on Tuesday.

Who's attending?

Among the top-ranking officials due to join the meeting in Paris are:

• 27 heads of state, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Canada's Mark Carney
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte are also expected to attend the meeting
• US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, are representing Washington

Russia is not part of the meeting format. Moscow does not directly engage with Kyiv, but there have been US-mediated talks in recent months.

It's another busy week of diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year-long war between Russia and Ukraine, with talks due to continue this week.

On Monday, Ukraine's allies' chiefs of general staff were meeting in Kyiv to discuss the country's future. 

Today, the so-called Coalition of the Willing, led by France and the United Kingdom, are meeting in Paris to discuss the outcomes of the meetings from the previous day.

The meeting comes a day after Russia launched a deadly attack on the Ukrainian capital. 

We're closely following the Paris summit and the situation on the ground. We'll bring you the latest updates and analysis here.