BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - French President Emmanuel
Macron said leaders of the coalition backing Ukraine would meet again next
week, hoping to finalise plans to secure a potential truce in the war with
Russia.

The huddle in Paris with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be the
latest in a series of high-stakes gatherings -- and will come after Kyiv and
Moscow hold talks in Saudi Arabia with the United States on Monday.

Macron's announcement Thursday came after London played host to the latest
discussions of military top brass from the so-called "coalition of the
willing" around Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said plans on policing a possible
ceasefire were "coming together" as US President Donald Trump forges ahead
with Russia on ending its war on Ukraine.

Macron -- who along with Starmer has said he is willing to deploy troops to
Ukraine -- said the meeting next Thursday will be a chance to "fine-tune"
work on ensuring any truce is durable.

Meanwhile, Zelensky told an EU summit that "nothing had changed" as Moscow
has kept up bombardments despite agreeing with Trump to halt strikes on
Ukraine's energy system.

Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin must "stop making unnecessary
demands that only prolong the war", calling on the EU to ramp up arms
deliveries and keep sanctions in force.

EU leaders vowed in a joint declaration, which was agreed without the support
of Russia-friendly Hungary, to step up military support despite Moscow's
demands for foreign support to stop.

But they stopped short of endorsing a request from Zelensky, pushed by EU
foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, to give Kyiv five billion euros ($5.4
billion) for artillery shells, in the face of opposition from France and
Italy.

In Norway, Zelensky said Ukrainian and US officials would meet in Saudi
Arabia on Monday to build on US-led efforts to secure an end to the Russian
invasion, now grinding into its fourth year.

The Kremlin had earlier confirmed Russian officials would also hold talks
with the US side in Saudi Arabia on the same day.

- Power plants -

Zelensky and Putin both held talks with Trump this week, and have indicated
they are prepared to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days.

But there has since been no let-up in fighting. Both countries reported a
barrage of new drone strikes overnight, as questions remained about the exact
details of any lasting peace deal.

Trump, who has spooked European and NATO allies by his overtures to Putin and
lukewarm commitment to European security, suggested on Wednesday night the
United States could take over and run Ukraine's power plants.

But on Thursday, Zelensky poured cold water on the idea, saying he could not
legally negotiate ownership of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power
station.

"If they want to take it back from the Russians, if they want to modernise
it, invest -- this is a different question, this is an open question, we can
talk about it," Zelensky added.

Trump later returned to a deal for access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals
that he has pushed Kyiv to sign, insisting Washington would sign it "very
shortly".

- Air defences -

Despite Trump going cold on support for Ukraine, the United States is looking
at helping Kyiv to acquire additional air defence systems to counter Russia's
ballistic missiles.

According to a White House readout, Zelensky on Wednesday asked Trump for
help in obtaining US-made "Patriot missile systems" to bolster its current
stock provided by the United States, Germany and Romania.

As Europe frets over the future of Ukraine, leaders once again debated plans
to massively bolster defence spending in the bloc.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov questioned whether Europe, where governments
are looking at steep increases in domestic defence spending, was committed to
ending the fighting.

"For the most part, the signals from Brussels and European capitals concern
plans to militarise Europe," he said.