Willing: multinational force led by Europe with US support. Starmer: military hub in Ukraine after ceasefire

"President Donald Trump never reneges on his commitments, he is committed to the Ukrainians and we will help them achieve a definitive peace." Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said this at a press conference in Paris after the meeting of the Willing.

"Today a milestone was passed in the process of reaching an eventual peace agreement". This was stated by Jared Kushner, who together with US envoy Steve Witkoff attended the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris. "On security guarantees," Kushner emphasised, "there have been exchanges between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago last December and I think all the most difficult issues have been resolved. "With these months of confrontation with Ukraine, the EU and the Coalition of the Willing today we have passed an essential milestone. I thank President Macron for his work. Peace would not be possible without the work done today. If a final agreement is reached, Ukraine must know that they will be safe to ensure that the current situation will not be repeated'.

Volodymyr Zelensky calls the new Paris Declaration 'very concrete' and speaks of 'substantial documents, not just words'. "We want to be ready so that when diplomacy reaches peace, we can deploy the forces of the coalition of the willing," he said at the press conference in Paris. Ukraine already has sufficient details and knows which countries will be involved in the agreement, including the contribution each of them will make separately, Zelensky says. "Progress has also been made in discussions with the US delegation in Paris on peace monitoring," he added.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced in Paris 'the possible readiness' to deploy perhaps 'in a NATO country close to Ukraine', but not directly on the ground. Merz pointed out at a press conference in the Elysée Palace that 'the type and extent of the German contribution must and will be decided by the federal government and the German parliament as soon as the conditions mentioned are clarified. On my own behalf and on behalf of the federal government, I would like to say that we do not exclude anything'.

The French President, Emmanuel Macron, announced 'truce monitoring mechanisms' in Ukraine that 'will be placed under American leadership', but 'with contributions from several states that have announced their readiness'. Macron announced tonight, at the end of the meeting of the Volunteers in Paris, the creation of 'a coordination cell that will allow the full integration of all the relevant armies and will enable coordination between the Coalition of the Volunteers, the United States of America and Ukraine'.

'After the ceasefire, the UK and France will establish military hubs in Ukraine'. This was announced by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the end of the Volunteers' meeting in Paris.

In Paris 'we made significant progress on several crucial areas of work, including our bilateral security guarantee framework and a plan for prosperity'. This was written on socila media by Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff after the 'Willing' for Ukraine meeting in Paris.

French President Emmanule Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a declaration of intent on the deployment of a multinational force after a ceasefire.

The summit of the willing in Paris, which was also attended by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, was 'constructive and concrete' and 'made it possible to confirm a high level of convergence between Ukraine, the United States, Europe and other partners, was dedicated to refining the security guarantees inspired by Article 5 of the Atlantic Alliance, as Italy has long suggested'. This was stated in a note from Palazzo Chigi. "These guarantees will be part of a broader package of understandings, to be adopted in close cooperation with Washington to ensure the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, including through an effective and articulated monitoring mechanism of the desired ceasefire and a strengthening of the Ukrainian military forces".

"In confirming Italy's support for Ukraine's security, in line with what has always been done" at the Paris Volunteers summit, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni "reiterated some firm points of the Italian government's position on the issue of guarantees, in particular the exclusion of the use of Italian troops on the ground". This is what is stated in a note from Palazzo Chigi in which it is stressed that 'the voluntary nature of the participation of the Coalition nations in the Multinational Force and the respect for constitutional procedures for decisions to support Ukraine in the event of a future attack, recalled in the declaration adopted, reflect principles repeatedly reiterated by Italy'.

'A historic day for Ukraine and Europe'. This was written in a post on social X by France's President Emmanuel Macron after the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing concluded at the Elysée Palace in Paris, which was followed by a summit with US envoys.

The Elysée meeting of the Coalition of the Willing ended after just under three hours, in the presence of some 30 Western leaders, including Giorgia Meloni, and the two American emissaries, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. In 15 minutes Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to hold a press conference with German Chancellor Friderich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Giorgia Meloni left the Elysée Palace after the conclusion of the meeting, to which she had arrived a little late coming from Milan, where she had gone for a surprise visit to those injured in the Crans-Montana disaster.

Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian troops of causing the death of a woman in an attack in the area of Myropillia in the Sumy region, the online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda reports, citing the local prosecutor's office. Ukrainian investigators say they have opened an investigation and that initial reports indicate that the woman was killed in an attack by the Russian army.

"The Coalition of the Willing meets today in Paris. Our goal is clear: to provide strong security guarantees for Ukraine. With strong Ukrainian armed forces capable of deterring future attacks, a multinational deterrence force and binding commitments to support Ukraine in the event of a future attack by Russia. Ukraine's accession to the EU will be both a fundamental security guarantee in itself and a central pillar of our transformative prosperity offer'. So says European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X.

The US will 'monitor' the ceasefire in Ukraine with the participation of the Europeans. This is stated in the draft final declaration at the meeting of the Volunteers today in Paris.

The US will guarantee 'support' for the multinational force 'in the event of an attack' by Russia, according to the draft of the final declaration of the meeting of the Volunteers in Paris.

Diplomacy and concrete assistance must go hand in hand. Russia does not stop its attacks against our country and, right now, we need to strengthen air defence to protect our population, our communities and critical infrastructure'. This is what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says on X after his meeting at the Elysée Palace with Emmanuel Macron. "Every delivery of air defence missiles saves lives and increases the possibilities of diplomacy. That is why every meeting must produce concrete results: new decisions on air defence, new aid packages and new capabilities to protect the skies. During our meeting with President Macron this was exactly the topic of discussion: the real capabilities of Ukraine to counter Russian terror, our defence and support that can strengthen our positions diplomatically."

Il presidente francese Emmanuel Macron, a sinistra, incontra il presidente ucraino Volodymyr Zelenskyy all’Eliseo nell’ambito dell’incontro della Coalizione dei volenterosi a Parigi, Francia, martedì 6 gennaio 2026. (Yoan Valat, Pool photo via AP)

The governor of the Ukrainian region of Donetsk, Vadym Filashkin, accuses Russian troops of causing the death of one person in an attack yesterday on Dobropillia, several Ukrainian media, including the Ukrinform news agency, reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the Elysée Palace in Paris, where he was welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron. At 2.30 p.m. other European leaders are expected to attend the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, scheduled for 3.10 p.m.

Security guarantees for Ukraine will include 'binding commitments' to support the country 'in the event of a future armed attack by Russia in order to restore peace'. This is stated in the draft declaration of the Coalition of the Willing summit scheduled to take place in Paris, reported by Reuters on the site. "Such commitments could include the use of military capabilities, intelligence and logistical support, diplomatic initiatives, adoption of additional sanctions," claims the document, which has yet to be approved by the leaders.

European leaders and US officials aim to finalise an agreement on security guarantees that would include the possibility of US troops on the territory of Ukraine in the post-war period, in an attempt to ensure the durability of any peace agreement. Bloomberg writes. It is unclear, Bloomberg writes, what role US troops would play or where they would be stationed in the event of a peace agreement with Russia. European countries have discussed the deployment of a multinational 'reassurance force', with the Ukrainian army leading the frontline defence.