Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with European leaders in Paris on Thursday, Sept. 4, as part of renewed international efforts to end Russia’s three-and-a-half-year invasion.
According to a diplomatic source, cited by AFP, discussions will focus on security guarantees for Ukraine and ways to push forward diplomacy, given Moscow’s continued attempts to stall negotiations. The source added that US President Donald Trump is not currently expected to attend.
The Financial Times reports that the Paris meeting will take place at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to the outlet, it will bring together the same leaders who attended the Washington summit on August 18. Expected participants include German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Kyiv wants such guarantees to deter any future Russian attacks. A European peacekeeping force has been floated publicly among leaders as a potential security arrangement for when the conflict ends.
In Zelensky’s evening address on Aug. 31, he recalled that exactly two weeks earlier in Washington, US President Donald Trump had given the Kremlin that timeframe to decide on its willingness to meet at the level of leaders. According to Zelensky, Ukraine is ready for dialogue, but Moscow continues to bet on war.
“Ukraine is certainly ready for this. But the only thing Russia is doing is investing in further war. All their signals point to this,” Zelensky said.
As an example, he cited Vladimir Putin’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, where, according to Zelensky, the Russian president would once again “dodge and maneuver” – his favourite tactic.
Against the backdrop of the Kremlin’s lack of readiness for talks, Zelensky stressed the need to continue pressuring Russia. He emphasized that the world is calling for the war to end, yet Moscow deliberately prolongs it.
“Everyone in the world has said that fire must be stopped, everyone insisted that the war must end… The only one who wants war is Russia.”
“We expect that no one will tolerate the dragging out of this war, we count on a strong position from the US, Europe, and the G20,” Zelensky said, adding that “Russia must pay for this.”