US representatives, meeting in Paris with members of the Coalition of Willing, have pledged to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, which would also include a binding commitment to support Kyiv if Russia attacks again, writes Reuters.
On the 6th of January, the leaders of the Coalition of Goodwill, which is mainly made up of European countries, gathered in Paris to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine if a peace agreement is reached. Unlike other coalition meetings, this one was also attended by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as the top US general in Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, who discussed the nuances of security guarantees with European military leaders the day before.
Witkoff, who has also led negotiations with Russia, said that US President Donald Trump is strictly based on security protocols. At a joint press conference with the leaders of France, Germany, Britain and Ukraine, Witkoff stressed that such protocols are designed to prevent future attacks, and if an attack does occur, the allies will step in to defend Ukraine.
Kushner, in turn, said that if an agreement is reached, Ukrainians need to know that they are safe, that the country has solid defenses and real security mechanisms that will prevent a repeat of the situation.
The statement from the Coalition of Willing also said that the allies will participate in the monitoring and verification of the US-led ceasefire.
Officials said that this will be done with the help of drones, sensors and satellites, rather than sending troops to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the Telegram after the meeting in Paris that the agreements reached show how seriously Europe is ready to work for real security. He added, however, that it remains to be decided how the monitoring will work and how the Ukrainian army will be supported. Zelensky also thanked the United States for its readiness to act as a security mechanism, and added that the Ukrainian delegation would continue the talks on the 7th of January.
Talks to end the nearly four-year-old war initiated by Russia resumed in November, when a US-drafted peace plan was leaked, which was seen as highly favorable to the Russians. It has been revised several times, but Moscow has shown no interest in giving up its demands. There is also no sign that Moscow is ready to negotiate a peace with the security guarantees that Ukraine’s allies see. Russia has previously rejected the possibility of NATO troops being stationed on Ukrainian territory.
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