Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media during a press briefing after his phone talks with the US president, in Kyiv, on May 19, 2025, amid the Russian invasion on Ukraine. The United States has agreed to "tightly coordinate" Ukraine talks with European partners following a call between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the German government said on May 19. Immediately after his conversation with Putin, Trump held a second call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the leaders of France, Finland, Germany, and the EU Commission. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP)
European leaders will gather in Paris today with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a renewed push to pressure Vladimir Putin, who has vowed that Russia will continue its war in Ukraine absent a peace deal.
The summit, co-chaired by France and the United Kingdom, is expected to refine security guarantees for Kyiv should a ceasefire materialise, and to clarify the scope of United States involvement. Western frustration has been mounting over Putin’s perceived refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations, more than three years into Moscow’s invasion.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe was “ready to offer security guarantees to Ukraine the day a peace accord is signed”, though he declined to disclose details, stressing the measures were “extremely confidential”. The guarantees, according to officials, may involve European troop deployment, military training, and U.S. “backstop” support.
Zelensky voiced optimism that the summit would increase pressure on Moscow to seek a diplomatic solution but admitted there was “no sign yet from Russia” of willingness to end hostilities.
Moscow, however, dismissed the plans outright. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova branded the proposed guarantees “absolutely unacceptable”, arguing they posed “a danger to the European continent” and vowing Russia would reject any deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine.
In an interview with French magazine Le Point, Zelensky cautioned that European guarantees alone “might not be enough” to deter future aggression. “We need an alliance between Europe and the United States,” he said.
The Paris talks will be followed by phone discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump before a joint press briefing.
Putin, fresh from appearances in Beijing and Washington, continues to project defiance. Speaking at a military parade alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, he claimed Russian forces were advancing “on all fronts” and had crippled Ukraine’s capacity to launch counter-offensives. He was also seen in rare public camaraderie with Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Despite recent high-level encounters—including a red-carpet welcome from Trump in Alaska—no breakthrough has emerged. Trump has signalled U.S. support for a European peacekeeping framework but ruled out deploying American troops.
European leaders’ rhetoric has hardened in recent weeks. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz branded Putin “a war criminal” and warned against any leniency. Macron has described him as “an ogre at our gates”, while Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu argued that Russia’s strategy of deception and delay was rooted in “a Soviet KGB culture”.
The Paris summit underscores Europe’s attempt to stand firm, even as Russia signals its readiness to continue the conflict indefinitely.
