The defence ministers of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland met in Paris on Wednesday, promising concrete steps to boost European defence and provide security guarantees for Ukraine as Washington pursues rapprochement with Moscow.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov was invited to attend an initial meeting to discuss aid for his country, after which a second meeting would focus on building up European defence capabilities.
"European nations are stepping up," said Britain's defence secretary, John Healey.
"By deepening our defence cooperation, boosting spending and enhancing our collective strength, we send a clear message: we will not waver in standing with Ukraine and defending our shared values."
France and Britain, Europe's two nuclear powers, have worked closely together over the past few weeks to rally European support for Ukraine amid U.S. unpredictability.
The meetings, held at the Val-de-Grâce former military hospital in Paris, were also due to be attended by European Union and NATO officials.
The meetings come a day after 34 army chiefs, from NATO countries as well as Japan and Australia, met in Paris for rare talks that excluded their U.S. counterparts.
They focused on backing Ukraine and providing security guarantees for a future peace deal, including providing potential European peacekeepers.
U.S. President Donald Trump's moves to build closer ties with Russia and seek to rapidly end the Ukraine war have upended years of western defence thinking, prompting European nations to pledge Ukraine support and talk of rapid rearmament.
After Tuesday's meeting, French President Macron said the time had come to "move from concept to plan" to define credible security guarantees to ensure a solid and lasting peace in Ukraine, according to an Elysee source.
A press conference was scheduled following Wednesday's meetings at 18:30 CET.
France pledged €2 billion in military aid to Ukraine as European leaders met in Paris to discuss strengthening Kyiv’s defense and potential roles in future peace talks. The summit, led by Macron and Starmer, focuses on military support, ceasefire monitoring, and Europe’s strategic involvement.
UK Prime Minister will co-host today's meeting of the Coalition of the Willing alongside President Macron in Paris.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday night in Paris for a working dinner at the Élysée Palace, ahead of a "coalition of the willing" summit.
Residents of Paris are set to vote on a landmark proposal to convert 500 more streets into pedestrian zones, as part of the city’s efforts to reduce traffic, improve air quality, and create more green spaces.
European leaders are gathering for an emergency summit on Ukraine amid concerns that U.S.-Russia negotiations could exclude the continent from key decisions
A mob attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi has left one man dead, highlighting ongoing persecution of the minority group.
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The new U.S. ambassador to Japan has called for closer military coordination with Tokyo, framing the alliance as crucial amid rising regional tensions and ongoing trade disputes.
Students in Serbia have rallied outside a police station as Belgrade University’s rector is questioned over support for anti-government protests.
OpenAI has unveiled a new option called Flex processing, an API service designed to provide more affordable AI model usage in exchange for slower response times and occasional resource unavailability.
The Russian ruble has emerged as the top-performing currency globally in 2025, registering an impressive 38% appreciation against the US dollar since the beginning of the year, according to a report by Bloomberg.
A small plane crashed near Kopake, New York, on April 13, killing at 6 people. The Mitsubishi MU-2B aircraft, carrying six people, went down under unclear circumstances. This marks the second aviation accident in New York in a week, raising safety concerns.
Several regions in Ukraine faced heightened alert on Palm Sunday, as reports of explosions and missile threats drew public attention and official responses.
Severe rainfall on April 17 led to flooding and landslides in the Piedmont region, prompting a large-scale emergency response from over 400 firefighters.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for April 16th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A mob attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi has left one man dead, highlighting ongoing persecution of the minority group.
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The new U.S. ambassador to Japan has called for closer military coordination with Tokyo, framing the alliance as crucial amid rising regional tensions and ongoing trade disputes.
Students in Serbia have rallied outside a police station as Belgrade University’s rector is questioned over support for anti-government protests.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov extended Moscow’s support for the ongoing indirect nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, offering to mediate or assist in any way that would be beneficial to Tehran and acceptable to Washington.
A mob attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi has left one man dead, highlighting ongoing persecution of the minority group.
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The new U.S. ambassador to Japan has called for closer military coordination with Tokyo, framing the alliance as crucial amid rising regional tensions and ongoing trade disputes.
Students in Serbia have rallied outside a police station as Belgrade University’s rector is questioned over support for anti-government protests.
OpenAI has unveiled a new option called Flex processing, an API service designed to provide more affordable AI model usage in exchange for slower response times and occasional resource unavailability.
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