Flags EU and Ukraine are seen at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)

A summit of European leaders hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, which included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, opened in Paris on Thursday and was aimed at boosting Ukrainian security ahead of any potential cease-fire with Russia, AFP reported.

A summit of European leaders hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, which included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, opened in Paris on Thursday and was aimed at boosting Ukrainian security ahead of any potential cease-fire with Russia, AFP reported.

Over two dozen heads of state and government, such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italy's Giorgia Meloni, were present as the summit began with a family photo before the leaders sat down for several hours of talks, an AFP correspondent said.

Experts viewed the summit as Europe's latest push to secure a seat at the negotiation table alongside the US and Russia, though they noted that Europe's influence over Washington is limited.

The meeting is seeking to set out what security guarantees Europe can offer Ukraine once a cease-fire deal is agreed, including the possible deployment of military forces by a so-called coalition of the willing, per AFP. 

It was the third summit of what France and Britain have called the "coalition of the willing," reflecting concern among Europeans that the US no longer represents a firm bulwark of support for Ukraine amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to Reuters. 

The French presidency said on Thursday that President Emmanuel Macron had spoken with US President Donald Trump ahead of the summit on strengthening Ukraine, DW reported. Macron has also met Volodymyr Zelensky and Keir Starmer for trilateral talks on Thursday ahead of a summit with dozens of EU leaders in Paris.

Speaking alongside Zelensky in Paris on Wednesday ahead of the talks, Macron said this was now a "decisive phase to put an end" to Russia-Ukraine conflict, as the US under US President Donald Trump reaches out to Moscow in search of a deal, per AFP.

Macron also announced a new French two billion euro ($2.2 billion) military aid package for Ukraine, with Paris ready to rapidly ship existing hardware from its stocks.

The summit, held after US talks with Ukraine and Russia in Saudi Arabia, gives Kiev a chance to brief Europe, which has been excluded from negotiations, and demonstrates solidarity between Kiev and Brussels, Cui Hongjian, professor of the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times. 

Cui noted that Europe and Ukraine are going to have an evaluation about the prospect and possibility of a cease-fire deal based on the results from the talks between Ukraine and the US in Saudi Arabia. 

Three days of technical-level negotiations on the details of a potential cease-fire in Ukraine concluded on Tuesday without an official joint statement, as participating parties offered somewhat conflicting assessments of the talks, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The intense parallel interactions between the US and delegations from Ukraine and Russia on the table, including a 12-hour one between the US and Russia on Monday, and two shorter rounds between the US and Ukraine on Sunday and Tuesday, came as fighting on the battlefield remains intense.

With Europe being sidelined from the talks, it is considering deploying troops and ramping up aid to Ukraine to push its way into the negotiations, said Cui, though the effect of these moves remains uncertain, as Europe's influence over US is limited.

Russia's stance regarding the possible deployment of European military forces in Ukraine after the cease-fire is clear, as Moscow considers it unacceptable, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on March 6, according to TASS.

Any European troop deployment in Ukraine, no matter under what name, is likely to further intensify the conflict, Yang Jin, an associate research fellow with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

However, the Ukraine crisis is indeed at a very complex and crucial juncture. Whether to pursue peace talks or continue fighting has now come to a very important decision point. If the current atmosphere is completely disrupted again, the consequences are likely to continue to deteriorate, said Yang. 

On Wednesday local time, the UN Security Council deliberated on the humanitarian issue in Ukraine. During the meeting, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations stated that China welcomes and supports all efforts that are conducive to a cease-fire and the halt of hostilities. China also called on all relevant parties to seize this crucial opportunity, promote a cease-fire and the halt of hostilities, restart the peace talks process, and achieve lasting peace at an early date, according to China Central Television. 

It is necessary for Europe to play a role in promoting peace, jointly address the root causes of the crisis, find a balanced, effective and sustainable security framework, and achieve long-term stability and security on the European continent, said Fu.