France vows to continue work on security guarantees for Ukraine from January in Paris

Macron speaks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, voices their 'steadfast support'

ISTANBUL

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed on Wednesday to continue working on security guarantees for Ukraine starting in January in Paris following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

"I met with Mark Rutte to review the situation in Ukraine and the progress of the work being carried out within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing. Beginning in January in Paris, we will continue these efforts with a view to providing Ukraine with strong security guarantees, which are an essential condition to achieving a robust and lasting peace," Macron wrote on US social media company X.

He noted that Ukraine can count on its European partners' "steadfast support, now and in the future."

The French president's remarks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday outlined a 20-point peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war, including EU membership and NATO's Article 5-like security guarantees for Kyiv.

Zelenskyy provided details on the revised draft document discussed by Ukraine and the US over the weekend in the US state of Florida during a briefing with journalists, saying it is a framework that largely reflects a joint position by Kyiv and Washington, though some issues still need to be addressed.