Rutte, Zelenskiy to join Paris meeting on Ukraine security guarantees

Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskiy were due in Paris on Monday for a Coalition of the Willing meeting that Emmanuel Macron wants to use to unveil new defense initiatives and joint military exercises. The gathering is the latest test of whether Europe’s ad hoc pro-Ukraine bloc can become a real power center alongside NATO, not just a series of summit statements.

The French presidency said planning was still under way, but the agenda was already centered on concrete work: countering Russia’s shadow fleet, improving Ukraine’s military capabilities, mobilizing Europe’s defense industries and widening operational cooperation among Kyiv’s backers. Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa were expected to attend, and the Elysee said Moldova and North Macedonia had joined the coalition, expanding the group beyond its original core.

The Coalition of the Willing was launched by the United Kingdom and France in March 2025 and has steadily moved toward institutional form. British government material says it will have a permanent headquarters in Paris and a future coordination cell in Kyiv, while French diplomatic material has described its work in four strands: continuing military aid to Ukraine, guaranteeing Ukraine’s sovereignty in any future peace deal, strengthening Ukraine’s defensive capabilities in peacetime and broadening the coalition itself. A July 2025 meeting already brought leaders together in London, Rome and virtually, underscoring that the format has become a standing channel for political and military coordination.

Paris is trying to show that this structure can produce more than symbolism. Allies are separately expected to discuss a European ballistic missile defense system involving Ukraine, while Macron is pressing the case that Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security and for Ukraine’s long-term position. The meeting comes only days after NATO’s summit in Ankara on July 7 and 8, where allied leaders reaffirmed Article 5 and noted that European allies and Canada had increased core defense investments by more than $139 billion since the 2025 Hague commitment to reach 5% of GDP by 2035.

That backdrop gives the Paris meeting a sharper purpose. The question is whether the coalition can translate political backing into the command, industrial and financial architecture needed for a future ceasefire, including guarantees that hold beyond the next summit and the next crisis.