Overview

• Representatives from about 30 mostly European states convened in Paris with Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz joined by video.
• Berlin’s proposal, confirmed by government sources, targets a roughly 20% annual increase in Ukraine’s air-defense capacity, support for domestic production of long‑range precision weapons such as cruise missiles, and equipment for four mechanized brigades, about 480 vehicles per year.
• Germany says any peacekeeping role remains possible only after a political agreement to end the war, with significant U.S. involvement, internal government consensus and Bundestag approval.
• Russia labeled any foreign troop deployment in Ukraine “unacceptable,” with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova calling the plans a danger to Europe.
• The Élysée framed the talks as a signal of European readiness intended to prompt U.S. assurances, with President Donald Trump to be briefed by phone and no final commitments expected today.