Latest updates: Zelenskyy calls for European involvement in peace deal and post-war 'reassurance force'

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Zelenskyy says he is ready to discuss some of the most sensitive parts of the peace proposal with Trump.

Over the past few days, various rumours have circulated about a possible meeting between the two leaders, who have at times had a turbulent relationship. But nothing has been confirmed.

The stakes are high for Kyiv. It needs to have White House on its side — or at the very least, not acting against Ukraine's interest.

Zelenskyy tried to strike a diplomatic tone after the 28-point peace plan was leaked last week. But in a video address to the nation, said Ukraine faced a difficult choice: either abandon its national interest, or risk losing one of its most important partners.

The next day Trump railed in a post on social media saying that the leadership of Ukraine had expressed "zero gratitude" for U.S. Efforts.

Trump and his team have called Zelenskyy ungrateful before, most notably during that now infamous meeting in the Oval Office. After some diplomatic manoeuvring, and a meeting at the Vatican on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral, the relationship improved.

In a speech to the group of allies, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Zelenskyy told the group of allies that Ukraine is ready to move forward with the latest U.S. Peace deal framework.

On the leftover sensitive details mentioned by the U.S., the Ukrainian president said European leaders should be involved in further talks and suggested Europe could deploy a "reassurance force" — though what that means is still unclear.

In the meantime, he called on his European allies to continue to support his country as it undergoes more attacks from Russia.

The "coalition of the willing" virtual meeting is underway. At the start of the meeting, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom would be sending more air defence missiles to Ukraine.

Starmer didn't specify how many, but said they would be delivered in the coming weeks, according to Reuters.

Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has written on X that the U.S. Has made "tremendous progress" toward a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia, but that some points will require more discussions.

"There are a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out and will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States," Leavitt wrote.

Is Trump’s peace plan the best deal Ukraine can get?

Many of Ukraine’s allies have expressed concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan amounts to a 'wish list' for Russia. But Christian Leuprecht, a professor at the Royal Military College and Queen’s University, says Ukraine is in a weak position and that Trump’s deal presents a 'significant opportunity’ for both sides to find common ground in a way that meets everyone’s ‘reasonable objectives.'

As leaders from the coalition of the willing meet, security guarantees are at the top of the agenda. As Macron put it, the conditions for peace have to include "robust security guarantees," not "paper guarantees."

Under the U.S.'s 28-point peace plan backed by Russia, Ukraine would receive "reliable security guarantees." Not many other details were known, except that NATO would not have troops on the ground in Ukraine. However, European fighter jets would be stationed in neighbouring Poland.

If Russia invades Ukraine again, the proposal stipulates that there would be a "decisive and co-ordinated military response."

The EU's counter-proposal was never officially released, but a number of media outlets including Reuters obtained copies.

Europe's plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and stipulates that NATO will agree to not "permanently station troops under its command in Ukraine in peacetime."

It also says that the U.S should provide a guarantee that mirrors NATO's Article 5, which considers an armed attack against one member to be an attack on all.

Defence is also on Emmanuel Macron's mind today. The French president told reporters he will announce a plan to increase France's army numbers.

He didn't provide details on what that plan would entail, but sources were quoted in French media saying the country would be restoring military service on a voluntary basis.

According to the BBC, Macron told French reporters Tuesday that the announcement was meant to address the "hybrid confrontation" waged by Russia — but he stressed young French people would not be sent to the front lines in Ukraine.

"If we French want to protect ourselves ... We must show that we are not weak in the face of one power that threatens us the most," he said.

Olha Kononenko got a call in the middle of the night from her father saying that her apartment building in Kyiv had been hit in an attack. She was staying somewhere else that night but raced over. By the time she arrived, her unit was engulfed in flames.

On Tuesday, as she stood in front of the partially blackened building, she struggled to think about the prospects of peace.

"It is impossible to put up with this."

Kononeko said the 28-point peace plan was essentially offering Ukrainians the same terrible conditions that were on the table at the beginning of the war.

The European Union voted today to approve a €1.5 billion ($2.45 billion Cdn) program to deepen defence-industry co-operation with Ukraine.

Of that amount, €300 million ($490 million Cdn) is allocated through an EU "Ukraine Support Instrument," which aims to modernize Ukraine's defence industry and integrate it more closely with European defence firms.

The funding comes as European nations, such as Poland and Denmark, grapple with potential shadow war tactics by Russia.

Raphaël Glucksmann, an EU lawmaker from France's S&D party, said that the defence program "is key to making sure we can protect our democracies effectively and autonomously."

Ukraine's defence industry "needs us," EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told EU lawmakers before the vote in Strasbourg, France, according to The Associated Press. "But we need Ukraine's defence innovations even more."

Russian forces have long maintained control of a large portion of land in Eastern Ukraine. The latest assessment by The Institute for the Study of War (a U.S. Nonprofit research group) suggests Russia is not in an imminent position to take the rest of the Donetsk Oblast (region). Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue counterattacks in Pokrovsk, to the west.

The heavily criticized peace plan announced last week included Ukraine ceding the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea to Russia. It also included freezing the front line in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and creating a demilitarized zone between the current front line and the border of Donetsk.

Key issues remain as U.S. Deadline for Ukraine peace deal nears

A U.S.-imposed deadline for a peace deal in Ukraine is days away, but despite ongoing talks, key issues remain far from resolved — including whether Ukraine will cede territory to Russia.

While the pressure has stepped up, prompting a flurry of negotiations, we shouldn't assume that means a peace deal is imminent.

I spoke with Keir Giles, an expert on Russia at Chatham House, a London-based research institute. He said Ukraine and its allies have been through this cycle a few times before.

"The Russian side presents the terms of surrender. The United States forces it, or attempts to force it, on Ukraine. Then there is a diplomatic scramble, where Europe tries to intervene," he said.

Trump originally said Ukraine had to agree to the deal by Thursday, but like other deadlines he’s issued, this one seems flexible. Officials have said it is not set in stone.

Giles said while it may give Ukraine a temporary reprieve, the underlying problem remains.

"For all of the flip-flopping on rhetoric, the direction of travel of the U.S. Policy has been absolutely consistent … reducing support for Ukraine and reducing support for European security as a whole," he said.

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