PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that Kyiv's allies would meet in Paris next month to discuss security guarantees as part of a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
"We will bring together the countries of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris in early January to finalize each one's concrete contributions," Macron said on X after speaking with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.
Macron said discussions were advancing on security guarantees that he described as essential for achieving a just and lasting peace.
He added that countries forming the “Coalition of the Willing” would meet in Paris in early January to finalize their specific commitments.
The statement comes hours after Trump said a deal was closer than ever to end the Ukraine war, but reported no apparent breakthrough on the flashpoint issue of territory after new talks with the warring countries' leaders.
Trump, who had promised a peace deal on day one of his nearly year-old presidency, said it would become clear within weeks whether it was possible to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people since February 2022.
In a pre-New Year's diplomatic sprint, Trump brought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Florida, where the two met with top aides over lunch, a day after Russia unleashed major new attacks on residential areas of the capital Kyiv.
Much like when Zelensky last met Trump in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin also spoke shortly beforehand by telephone with the US leader, who immediately insisted that Moscow was "serious" about peace despite the assault.
"I really believe we're, Mr. President, probably closer than — far closer than — ever before with both parties," Trump said with Zelensky at his side in the tea room of his Mar-a-Lago estate.
"Everybody wants it ended," Trump said.
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