Macron is assembling a coalition of interested parties to discuss strengthening Ukraine's air defense
French President Emmanuel Macron will host a meeting of the leaders of the “Coalition of the Willing” in Paris on the eve of Bastille Day. The main topic of the talks will be the coordination of military support for Ukraine, particularly the strengthening of its air defense systems.
The meeting will take place at the Hôtel des Invalides on Monday, July 13. The coalition, established by France and the United Kingdom, has now expanded to include 37 countries.
This time, new members—Moldova and North Macedonia—will join the discussions for the first time. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to be in Paris on Monday and Tuesday.
According to an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron, the main goal of the summit is to demonstrate the unity of the West and show Moscow that the allies are not “war-weary.”
This meeting is intended to reinforce the agreements reached at the recent G7 summit in Evian and the NATO summit in Ankara, where Ukraine was promised 70 billion euros in military aid through 2026.
Coalition members will focus on strengthening Ukraine’s air defense. In particular, they will discuss the creation of a comprehensive missile defense system and the details of the U.S. plan for the licensed production of Patriot missiles directly in Ukraine.
A separate item on the agenda will be the issue of security guarantees in the event of a possible ceasefire. The French side notes that plans to deploy a multinational mission force (away from the front lines) are already “ready,” although they may be adjusted.
These plans will be based on legally binding bilateral agreements, and the U.S. will participate in monitoring compliance with the ceasefire.
Immediately after the summit, the leaders will attend the annual military parade on July 14. This year’s parade will be larger in scale—involving nearly 6,800 military personnel, which is 15% more than last year.
The march will be led by 500 soldiers from the “Coalition of the Willing,” and Ukrainian servicemen have already held rehearsals with the national flag on the Champs-Élysées.
The “Patrouille de France” aerobatic team will take part in the air portion of the parade, along with two Mirage fighter jets piloted by Ukrainian pilots who trained in France.
Source: Euronews.
As a reminder, the U.S. will provide Poland with a $2 billion loan to purchase weapons: F-35 fighter jets, Patriot air defense missile systems, and Abrams tanks.
Earlier, Poland signed an agreement with the U.S. for the delivery of 96 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, along with a logistics and training package, for a total of $10 billion.
