The Kremlin on Monday dismissed a Paris summit gathering Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and key allies — the so-called Coalition of the Willing — as leaders who “do not want peace”, while saying that Moscow would be watching “closely.”
“This is a coalition of warmongers,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, accusing the group of wanting to “continue the war” and adding: “These are the countries that are undertaking hostile actions against Russia, so we will be watching very closely.”
Kremlin’s remarks comes as allies of Ukraine will gather in Paris on Monday with the war-torn country’s leader Zelensky to reaffirm support for Kyiv and step up pressure on Russia, according to the French presidency.
The summit meeting of the Coalition of the Willing — launched by France and the United Kingdom to provide military support to Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion — will push for a ceasefire and renewed peace talks, the French presidency said on Friday.
At least 25 heads of state will attend the meeting, which comes the day before France’s national public holiday Bastille Day.
The summit comes at a “powerful moment of renewed transatlantic convergence and unity”, but also of “more favorable developments on the ground” for Kyiv, the Elysee added.
Monday’s meeting will “build further on this momentum… to demonstrate that Ukraine’s supporters remain firmly committed to standing alongside the Ukrainian people, that there is absolutely no sign of fatigue, and that Russia cannot count on any such fatigue setting in”, an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron said.
US President Donald Trump, who has sought to maintain relations with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin while periodically criticizing both Moscow and Kyiv, signaled his intention to offer greater support to Ukraine at the June G7 summit in France and the NATO meeting in Turkey this week.
Washington last week also advanced bipartisan legislation targeting countries buying Russian energy — potentially clearing the way for stronger pressure on Moscow. (AFP)
