An Elysee Palace spokesman told Euractiv that European allies will meet in January 2026 to finalise security guarantees for Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron wants the countries of the “coalition of the willing“ to finalise the details of support for Ukraine after the ceasefire next month, the spokesman said.
“Ukrainians, Europeans and Americans agree and we believe that now it is Russia's turn to give a clear answer,“ the source added.
The guarantees are expected to include specific procedures giving Ukraine “clear” understanding of what long-term support would look like, the source added.
The “Coalition of the Willing“ is an alliance of over 30 countries, mostly European, that are open to participating in a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
The previous meeting of the coalition member countries was held on December 11. They discussed the security guarantees that could be provided to Ukraine after the end of the conflict.
There has been no recent contact between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and no telephone conversation is currently planned between the two, the Elysee Palace announced today, quoted by Agence France-Presse, BTA reports.
The statement comes against the backdrop of seriously deteriorating relations between Paris and Moscow, which are at one of their lowest levels, although both sides have publicly expressed interest in direct communication.
The French presidential institution specified that so far no contact has been made between the two leaders, no telephone conversation is being prepared, and no visit by Emmanuel Macron to Moscow is planned.
Last week, the Kremlin announced that Vladimir Putin was ready to talk with the French president, after Macron also signaled a possible dialogue. In response, the Elysee Palace described this position as “welcome”, adding that the teams will discuss in the coming days the most appropriate way to possibly continue, provided that the process is fully transparent towards Kiev and European partners.
At the same time, Moscow announced that it had made a proposal to France regarding the case of French researcher Laurent Vinatier, who has been in a Russian prison since June 2024. According to observers, this move can be interpreted as a signal of a desire to restore dialogue between the two countries.
Despite the lack of specific plans for contact, the French presidential office stressed that Macron “remains ready”.
A new meeting of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing“, which will address the sensitive issue of Ukraine's security guarantees.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would soon meet with US President Donald Trump. According to the publication “Axios“, the talks will take place on Sunday at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Zelensky later confirmed that he planned to discuss territorial issues and Ukraine's security with Trump, Reuters reports.