French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said that leaders of the coalition backing Ukraine would meet again next week, hoping to finalize plans to secure a potential truce in the war with Russia.
The huddle in Paris with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy would be the latest in a series of high-stakes gatherings — and would come after Kyiv and Moscow hold talks in Saudi Arabia with the US on Monday.
Macron’s announcement came after London played host to the latest discussions of military top brass from the so-called “coalition of the willing” around Ukraine.
Photo: AFP
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said plans on policing a possible ceasefire were “coming together” as US President Donald Trump forges ahead with Russia on ending its war with Ukraine.
Macron — who along with Starmer has said he is willing to deploy troops to Ukraine — said the meeting on Thursday next week would be a chance to “fine-tune” work on ensuring any truce is durable.
Meanwhile, Zelenskiy told an EU summit that “nothing had changed,” as Moscow has kept up bombardments despite agreeing with Trump to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy system.
Zelenskiy said that Russian President Vladimir Putin must “stop making unnecessary demands that only prolong the war,” calling on the EU to ramp up arms deliveries and keep sanctions in force.
EU leaders vowed in a joint declaration, which was agreed without the support of Russia-friendly Hungary, to step up military support, despite Moscow’s demands for foreign support to stop, but they stopped short of endorsing a request from Zelenskiy, pushed by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, to give Kyiv 5 billion euros (US$5.4 billion) for artillery shells, in the face of opposition from France and Italy.
In Norway, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian and US officials would meet in Saudi Arabia on Monday to build on US-led efforts to secure an end to the Russian invasion, now grinding into its fourth year.
The Kremlin had earlier confirmed Russian officials would also hold talks with the US in Saudi Arabia on the same day.
Zelenskiy and Putin both held talks with Trump this week, and have indicated that they are prepared to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days, but there has since been no let-up in fighting. Both nations reported a barrage of new drone strikes overnight, as questions remained about the exact details of any lasting peace deal.
Trump, who has spooked European and NATO allies with his overtures to Putin and lukewarm commitment to European security, on Wednesday suggested that the US could take over and run Ukraine’s power plants, but Zelenskiy on Thursday poured cold water on the idea, saying he could not legally negotiate ownership of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
“If they want to take it back from the Russians, if they want to modernize it, invest — this is a different question, this is an open question, we can talk about it,” Zelenskiy said.
Trump later returned to a deal for access to Ukraine’s rare earths that he has pushed Kyiv to sign, insisting Washington would sign it “very shortly.”
Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao (李佳豪) on Sunday won a silver medal at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, a career best. Lee, 25, took silver in the final of the men’s singles against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) of China, who won 21-17, 21-19 in a tough match that lasted 51 minutes. After the match, the Taiwanese player, who ranks No. 22 in the world, said it felt unreal to be challenging an opponent of Shi’s caliber. “I had to be in peak form, and constantly switch my rhythm and tactics in order to score points effectively,” he said. Lee got
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