Macron to host two dozen of Ukraine's allies in Paris for "surge of support"
About twenty heads of state and government, mostly from Europe, will gather in Paris on Monday at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron to push for support for Ukraine.
As reported by Le Figaro, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to speak at the meeting, held at the Elysee Palace, via video conference.
The meeting will be attended by the vast majority of European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish President Andrzej Duda, as well as prime ministers from about 15 EU countries.
The meeting will also be attended by representatives of the United States and Canada and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron.
The talks in Paris will take place at a time when US support, which is important for Kyiv, is still blocked in Congress, and Emmanuel Macron will call on Europe to make a "collective breakthrough" against Russia, Le Figaro notes.
The meeting will also discuss the increasing number of cyberattacks and misinformation efforts by an increasingly aggressive Russia, the Elysee Palace said.
The aim of the talks is to "mobilise and explore all means of effective support for Ukraine," the Elysee Palace said in a statement,
"It is about... confirming that we are not tired and that we are determined to defeat Russian aggression. We want to send a clear message to Putin that he will not win in Ukraine," Paris insists.
Although no new aid announcements are planned, the meeting will look for ways to "act better and more decisively", while Kyiv said on Sunday that half of the promised Western weapons are arriving late.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 25 February announced President Emmanuel Macron's forthcoming visit to Ukraine and new details of French support.