The leaders of several European countries are set to meet next week with the US President, Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, in an attempt to gain his personal support for the security guarantees offered to Ukraine following a potential ceasefire, reports the Financial Times, citing sources close to the discussions.
The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 21, and is expected to take place in the context of a larger meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski. The leaders of Italy, Germany, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom, as well as the President of the European Commission, are expected to attend the discussions. Officials also do not rule out the participation of other leaders from the so-called “coalition of the willing”.
In parallel, the national security advisors of the involved states are planning a separate meeting, intended to prepare common positions ahead of the high-level discussions.
According to the sources cited, the main stake of the meeting is to obtain Donald Trump’s agreement for a set of security guarantees agreed upon by the European leaders last week in Paris. These would imply, among other things, the deployment of French and British troops in Ukraine after the ceasefire, with the aim of deterring a possible resumption of Russian aggression.
European officials consider these guarantees essential to prevent a new attack from Russia, but remain concerned about Trump’s personal level of commitment to supporting Ukraine after the conclusion of a peace agreement.
“Without the United States, none of this will work. At the moment, it is not clear what Trump really feels”, a European official said under the protection of anonymity.
In this context, the press previously reported that the United Kingdom and France could contribute approximately 15,000 soldiers to a possible multinational peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine – a significantly smaller number than initial estimates.
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