US commitment to aid Kyiv against renewed Russian aggression removed from Paris Declaration on Ukraine
A reference to US commitments to support multinational forces in Ukraine in the event of a renewed Russian invasion has been removed from the final text of the Paris Declaration of the Coalition of the Willing.
European Pravda noted that the United States is not formally a signatory to the document, and that a reference to Washington's commitment to support coalition forces in Ukraine in the event of renewed Kremlin aggression was removed from the final version.
The French president's office recalled that the United States is not a formal party to the Paris Declaration, adopted on 6 January. An Élysée Palace official said on condition of anonymity that the relevant statement of the Coalition of the Willing had been approved by coalition members and discussed in detail with the United States.
European Pravda has established that a comparison of the draft Paris Declaration of the Coalition of the Willing with the final text shows that the latter differs in that the paragraph on multinational coalition forces no longer contains a reference to US commitments to provide support in the event that Russia violates a ceasefire agreement.
A European Pravda correspondent reported that the draft statement seen ahead of the 6 January meeting of the Coalition of the Willing said the multinational forces would be led by Europeans, with the involvement of non-European coalition members as well, and with US participation – including capabilities such as intelligence and logistics – together with a US commitment to support the forces in the event of an attack.
The correspondent added that the final version of the Paris Declaration states that the multinational forces will be led by Europeans, with the involvement of non-European coalition members, and with proposed US support.
The Paris Declaration of 6 January also stated that a special coordination centre in the US-Ukraine-Coalition of the Willing format would be established on the basis of the coalition's operational headquarters in Paris, tasked with coordinating security guarantees for Ukraine from Western allies.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that each task linked to the process of providing assistance to Ukraine has a leading state, with Poland set to be the lead country on logistics.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has said he may "re-establish contact" with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks.