Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan traveled to Paris to represent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a meeting of the "coalition of the willing" regarding Ukraine. The summit, which brought together senior representatives from 37 countries, focused on the group's commitment to providing unwavering support for Kiev and accelerating efforts to secure a lasting peace.
The gathering was co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Following the discussions, the co-chairs representing the informal group of 35 countries, along with the UK and France, issued a statement emphasizing their resolve to establish a just and lasting peace in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter. They noted that any such agreement must preserve both Ukraine's security and their own interests.
Building on previous outcomes from the G7 summit in Evian and the NATO summit in Ankara, the participants reached a broad consensus on the necessity of peace negotiations and the implementation of security guarantees for Ukraine. The statement explicitly called for an immediate and complete ceasefire, urging the resumption of direct negotiations. The coalition expressed support for a direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, involving active participation from the United States and Europe, to initiate a ceasefire starting from the current line of contact.
The coalition partners underscored the principle that there can be "no peace without Ukraine" and maintained that no arrangements concerning European security interests should be negotiated without European involvement. Regarding security guarantees, the group welcomed the strong support expressed by US President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in Ankara. They reaffirmed their commitment, as outlined in the Paris Declaration of January 6, 2026, that any long-lasting peace agreement must be backed by legally and politically binding security guarantees to be activated once a ceasefire is in force.
