Ukraine’s allies praise major progress on defense guarantees

PARIS (AP) — Ukraine’s allies said they made major progress Tuesday toward agreeing on how to defend the country if a peace deal is struck with Russia, saying they were ready to provide international guarantees to deter Moscow from attacking its neighbor again.

Plans discussed at a key meeting in Paris included having the U.S. lead an effort to monitor any ceasefire — which could give Washington a direct role in keeping any peace with Russia.

Leaders from 27 European countries and Canada, as well as U.S. representatives and top officials from the European Union and NATO, said they would provide Kyiv’s front-line forces with equipment and training and back them up with air, land and sea support to deter any future Russian attack.

This was the 15th and largest meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” — involving more heads of state and governments than ever and U.S. envoys in person for the first time.

The post-ceasefire architecture would also include beefing up Ukraine’s war-battered army, including by replenishing its weapons stocks, so it could act as the country’s front-line deterrence against a resumption of fighting.

There was no immediate comment from officials in Russia on Tuesday, which was the eve of Orthodox Christmas.

Details of the plan were not disclosed

The size of the supporting forces was not made public, and many of the details of the plan — which would only apply if a ceasefire enters into force — remain unclear.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the meeting made “excellent progress” but cautioned that “the hardest yards are still ahead,” noting that Russian attacks on Ukraine continue.

Moscow has revealed few details of its stance in the U.S.-led peace negotiations. Officials have reaffirmed Russia’s demands and have insisted there can be no ceasefire until a comprehensive settlement is agreed. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled out any deployment of troops from NATO countries on Ukrainian soil.

Starmer added that there can only be peace if Russia compromises, and added: “Putin is not showing that he is ready for peace.”

Zelenskyy agreed progress was made

In the event of a ceasefire, Starmer said the U.K. and France “will establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine’s defensive needs.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed progress was made in the talks, although commitments need to be ratified by each country so that they can be put in place after any settlement.

“We determined what countries are ready to take leadership in the elements of security guarantees on the ground, in the air, and at sea, and in restoration,” Zelenskyy told a news conference in Paris. “We determined what forces are needed. We determined, how these forces will be operated and at what levels of command.”

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said the U.S. “strongly stands behind” security guarantees. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who also participated in the meeting, called the Paris meeting “a very, very, big milestone.”

“This does not mean we will make peace, but peace would not be possible without the progress that we have made today,” Kushner said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the security statement endorsed by Ukraine’s allies is a “significant step” toward ending Russia’s invasion. The coalition plans also envisage a Ukrainian army with 800,000 troops, he said.

Commitments still need to be finalized

A joint statement issued following the meeting said the allies also agreed to continue long-term military assistance and armament to Ukraine’s armed forces, which “will remain the first line of defense and deterrence” after any peace deal is signed.

The allies still must finalize “binding commitments” setting out what they will do to support Ukraine, the statement said.

The outcome of the meeting had been uncertain as the Trump administration’s focus is shifting to Venezuela, while U.S. suggestions of a Greenland takeover caused tension with Europe, and Moscow shows no signs of compromise.

A series of meetings on the summit’s sidelines illustrated the intensity of the diplomatic effort and the complexity of its moving parts.

Zelenskyy met with Macron ahead of the summit. French, British and Ukrainian military chiefs also met, with NATO’s top commander, U.S. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, participating in talks that France’s army chief said focused on implementing security guarantees. Army chiefs from other coalition nations joined by video.

Macron’s office said the U.S. delegation was initially set to be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but he changed his plans after the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela.

Tension rises over Greenland comments

Trump on Sunday renewed his call for the U.S. to take control of Greenland, a strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island.

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the U.K. on Tuesday joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in defending Greenland’s sovereignty in the wake of Trump’s comments about the self-governing territory of the kingdom of Denmark.

Macron on Tuesday declined answering a question on Greenland as he was speaking about Ukraine alongside U.S. envoys Kushner and Witkoff.

In fighting Tuesday, Ukraine’s Security Service carried out drone strikes on a military arsenal and an oil depot deep inside Russia, according to a security official who was not authorized to comment publicly and thus spoke on condition of anonymity.

The long-range drones hit the arsenal in Russia’s Kostroma region, triggering explosions that lasted for hours and forced the evacuation of nearby settlements, the official said. The site was described as a key logistics hub supplying ammunition in western and central Russia.

In a separate strike, Ukraine Security Service drones hit an oil depot in Russia’s Lipetsk region, causing a huge fire, the official said.

John Leicester in Paris; Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine; Will Weissert in Washington; Jill Lawless in London and Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed.

巴黎（美联社）——乌克兰的盟友周二表示，他们在就如果与俄罗斯达成和平协议如何保卫该国达成一致方面取得了重大进展，并表示他们准备提供国际保证，以阻止莫斯科再次攻击其邻国。

在巴黎举行的一次重要会议上讨论的计划包括由美国牵头监督任何停火行动——这可能使华盛顿在维持与俄罗斯的和平方面发挥直接作用。

来自 27 个欧洲国家和加拿大的领导人，以及美国代表和欧盟及北约的高级官员表示，他们将向基辅的一线部队提供装备和训练，并以空中、陆地和海上支援来阻止俄罗斯未来的任何攻击。

这是所谓的“自愿联盟”的第十五次也是规模最大的一次会议——参与的国家元首和政府首脑比以往任何时候都多，美国特使也首次亲自出席。

停火后的重建架构还将包括加强乌克兰饱受战争蹂躏的军队，包括补充其武器库存，使其能够作为该国防止战火复燃的前线威慑力量。

周二是东正教圣诞节前夕，俄罗斯官方尚未对此事发表评论。

该计划的细节并未披露。

支援部队的规模并未公开，而且该计划的许多细节——只有在停火生效后才能实施——仍然不清楚。

英国首相基尔·斯塔默表示，此次会晤取得了“极佳进展”，但他同时警告说，“最艰难的路还在后面”，并指出俄罗斯对乌克兰的袭击仍在继续。

莫斯科方面鲜少透露其在美国主导的和平谈判中的立场。官员们重申了俄罗斯的要求，并坚持在达成全面解决方案之前，不可能实现停火。俄罗斯总统普京已排除北约国家向乌克兰领土部署军队的可能性。

斯塔默补充说，只有俄罗斯做出妥协，才能实现和平，他还说：“普京并没有表现出他已准备好和平。”

泽连斯基同意取得了进展。

斯塔默表示，如果实现停火，英国和法国“将在乌克兰各地建立军事中心，并建造受保护的武器和军事装备设施，以支持乌克兰的防御需求”。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基承认谈判取得了进展，但各项承诺需要得到各国的批准，以便在达成任何协议后得以落实。

泽连斯基在巴黎举行的新闻发布会上表示：“我们确定了哪些国家准备在地面、空中和海上安全保障以及灾后重建方面发挥领导作用。我们确定了需要哪些部队。我们确定了这些部队将如何运作以及在哪个层级的指挥下运作。”

美国特使史蒂夫·威特科夫表示，美国“坚定支持”安全保障。同样参加了会议的特朗普女婿贾里德·库什纳称巴黎会议是“一个非常非常重要的里程碑”。

库什纳说：“这并不意味着我们将实现和平，但如果没有我们今天取得的进展，和平是不可能实现的。”

法国总统马克龙表示，乌克兰盟友签署的安全声明是结束俄罗斯入侵的“重要一步”。他还说，联盟计划中还包括组建一支80万人的乌克兰军队。

各项承诺仍需最终敲定。

会后发表的联合声明称，盟国还同意继续向乌克兰武装部队提供长期军事援助和武器装备，并表示在任何和平协议签署后，乌克兰武装部队“仍将是第一道防线和威慑力量”。

声明称，盟国仍需最终敲定“具有约束力的承诺”，阐明他们将如何支持乌克兰。

由于特朗普政府的关注点正在转向委内瑞拉，而美国提出的吞并格陵兰岛的提议导致与欧洲关系紧张，莫斯科又没有表现出任何妥协的迹象，因此此次会议的结果尚不明朗。

峰会期间举行的一系列会晤表明了外交努力的强度和其中各个环节的复杂性。

泽连斯基在峰会前会见了马克龙。法国、英国和乌克兰的军方首脑也举行了会谈，北约最高指挥官、美国陆军上将阿莱克西斯·格林克维奇也参加了会谈。法国陆军参谋长表示，会谈的重点是落实安全保障。其他盟国的陆军首脑则通过视频连线参加了会谈。

马克龙办公室表示，美国代表团最初计划由国务卿马可·卢比奥率领，但在美国军事干预委内瑞拉后，他改变了计划。

格陵兰岛相关评论引发紧张局势升级

特朗普周日再次呼吁美国控制格陵兰岛，这是一个具有战略意义且矿产资源丰富的北极岛屿。

周二，法国、德国、意大利、波兰、西班牙和英国的领导人与丹麦首相梅特·弗雷德里克森一道，捍卫格陵兰的主权，此前特朗普对丹麦王国的自治领土发表了评论。

周二，马克龙在与美国特使库什纳和维特科夫谈论乌克兰问题时，拒绝回答有关格陵兰岛的问题。

据一位未获授权公开评论的安全官员透露，在周二的战斗中，乌克兰安全部门对俄罗斯境内的一个军事武器库和一个石油仓库进行了无人机袭击。这位官员因此要求匿名。

一名官员称，远程无人机袭击了俄罗斯科斯特罗马地区的军火库，引发的爆炸持续数小时，迫使附近居民撤离。该军火库被描述为向俄罗斯西部和中部地区供应弹药的重要后勤枢纽。

这位官员表示，在另一次袭击中，乌克兰安全局的无人机袭击了俄罗斯利佩茨克地区的一个石油仓库，引发了一场大火。

约翰·莱斯特（John Leicester）在巴黎；弗拉基米尔·尤尔丘克（Volodymyr Yurchuk）在乌克兰基辅；威尔·韦瑟特（Will Weissert）在华盛顿；吉尔·劳莱斯（Jill Lawless）在伦敦；巴里·哈顿（Barry Hatton）在葡萄牙里斯本，均对此文有所贡献。