Macron wants to talk to Putin. Key statements by European leaders on Ukraine after the Paris summit

A summit of the “coalition of the willing,” Ukraine, and the United States was held in Paris, where security guarantees for Kyiv were discussed.

After the summit, European leaders made a number of statements.

In particular, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the maximum size of Ukraine’s armed forces after the war ends will not be 800,000, as Kyiv had insisted, but 700,000.

According to him, Western partners have committed to ensuring support for the Ukrainian army.

The French president also added that he intends to establish contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin “as soon as possible.”

For his part, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Ukraine is on the brink of an energy and humanitarian crisis.

In this regard, he said, Ukraine’s allies are “stepping up their efforts to end the war.”

At the same time, Merz said that compromises would be required to achieve peace in Ukraine.

“We will certainly have to make compromises to achieve peace in Ukraine. We will do everything possible—with persistence, realism and foresight—to achieve the best possible outcome: a stable ceasefire, reliable security guarantees and peace in Europe that will closely bind Ukraine and the Europeans together, and that we will build together,” Le Monde quoted the German chancellor as saying.

Merz also called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to ensure that young Ukrainian men remain in the country and serve, linking this to security issues.

In Merz’s view, Ukraine should ensure that young men do not leave for Germany, Poland, or France.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also made a statement. He said Britain and France intend to create military hubs across Ukraine and build depots for weapons and military equipment on Ukrainian territory.

It is worth recalling that following the summit in Paris, Zelensky, Macron and Starmer signed a declaration on plans to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine after the war.

Also in Paris, U.S. President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner said that almost all issues regarding security guarantees for Ukraine have been resolved.