Ukraine: Allies agree to 'robust' security guarantees

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: 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'sv military and energey 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.

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.

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.

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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.