PARIS, Mar 27: French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday was hosting European leaders and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday for a summit aimed at boosting Ukrainian security ahead of any potential ceasefire with Russia.
The meeting is seeking to set out what security guarantees Europe can offer Ukraine once there is agreement on a ceasefire to end the over three-year war, including the possible deployment of military forces by a so-called "coalition of the willing".
"Europe can defend itself. We have to prove it," Zelensky said on social media ahead of the talks.
Twenty-seven heads of state and government, including British Premier Keir Starmer and Italy's Giorgia Meloni, were attending the summit, which began with a family photo before the start of several hours of talks.
Macron was due to hold a news conference in the afternoon and other leaders were expected to hold their own briefings.
Key NATO member Turkey, currently under scrutiny due to protests at home, was represented by Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz.
Macron and Starmer have taken the lead in seeking to forge a coordinated European response to protecting Ukraine both during the current conflict and in its eventual aftermath after US President Donald Trump shook the world by opening direct negotiations with Russia.
As well as boosting Ukraine's own armed forces, a key pillar of ensuring security and preventing any further Russian invasion could be to deploy European troops to Ukraine, although it is far from clear how this could happen. �"AFP
