Ukrainian authorities face a immense challenge erstwhile it comes to national security. After a Thursday gathering in Paris, which discussed safety guarantees for Ukraine, it is unclear whether president Volodymyr Zelenski can number on the support of European countries. The German paper "Die Welt" notes that the "coal of the willing" to supply assistance to Ukraine is so far a "coal of the reluctant".
European countries are trying to engage in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. So far only Russia, the USA and Ukraine have been involved. The fresh American administration of Donald Trump, unlike the erstwhile one, is not considered to be an unconditional supporter of Kiev, or alternatively a mediator between the fighting parties. This could be a dense blow to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenski, who is increasingly dependent on the support of Europeans.
On Thursday, 31 countries, most of which belong to the European Union, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte discussed safety guarantees for about 5 hours after a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. The discussion focused in peculiar on what the Western coalition of willing to do to halt Vladimir Putin from breaking up any possible ceasefire in the future and even peace in Ukraine.
The Die Welt website notes that Thursday's consultation in Paris was not the first of its kind; the coalition had already met in different formats. This time, however, "it is clear that the countries of Europe are divided on how to safe the ceasefire in Ukraine". French president Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who lead the “coal of the willing”, “are very far from any concrete decisions”.
According to U.S. State Department data, in 2022 the United States granted Ukraine over $2.5 billion in military aid. On the another hand, the European Union has offered more than EUR 1.5 billion in humanitarian aid. Despite these efforts, the situation in Ukraine remains uncertain.
According to a study by the Human Rights Watch organization, more than 7,000 civilians have died since the beginning of the war in Ukraine and more than 10,000 have been injured. Moreover, more than 4 million people had to leave their homes and search shelter in another parts of the country or in neighbouring countries.
In this context, Ukraine's safety issue is becoming increasingly urgent. European countries must take concrete steps to aid Ukraine safe its territory and citizens. This is not an easy task due to the fact that Russia remains the main player in the region and has a crucial impact on the situation in Ukraine.
The conclusions of the Thursday gathering in Paris are worrying. The coalition of those willing to assist Ukraine turns out to be a coalition of reluctant and European countries are divided on how to safe the ceasefire in Ukraine. This means that president Volodymyr Zelenski must number on the fact that the support of European countries may not be adequate to safe his country. Time will show whether European countries will be able to take concrete steps to aid Ukraine safe its territory and citizens.
More here:
Security of Ukraine: What next?
