European Leaders Convene in Paris to Bolster Security for Ukraine

On March 27, 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted nearly thirty European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in Paris. Discussions focused on reinforcing Ukraine's security amid potential ceasefire talks with Russia. Zelensky stressed the need for Europe to demonstrate its capacity for self-defense. European Council President António Costa emphasized the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia through sanctions. He stated that the EU must remain steadfast in its pursuit of a just and lasting peace, continuing to apply sanctions against Russia. The EU has already implemented 16 economic sanction packages since the beginning of Russia's military actions in Ukraine in February 2022. Scheduled for approximately four hours, the "Meeting on Peace and Security for Ukraine" concluded with Macron holding a press conference to detail the outcomes. Following this, Madrid is set to host the fourth G5+ meeting, comprising the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom, to further address European defense strategies against Russian threats and shifts in U.S. security approaches in the Euro-Atlantic region.