EA on War and Politics 24: Ukraine — Has Putin Overplayed His Hand Again?
Tuesday’s Coverage: Zelensky and European Leaders Meet Trump’s Envoys in Paris
The developments came at a meeting in Paris on Tuesday where Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders presented their proposals to Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
They were a dramatic turnaround from late October when Witkoff and Kushner colluded with the Kremlin on a 28-point ultimatum to Ukraine, forcing it to give up territory and to keep itself permanently weak.
In contrast, Witkoff and Kushner said Tuesday that Donald Trump “strongly stands” behind the guarantees, which include US participation and a leadership role.
Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a trilateral declaration of intent for the Anglo-French “military hubs across Ukraine”.
Macron said the force will “provide reassurance after the ceasefire” while being stationed “a long way behind the contact line”. The Ukraine-Europe plan includes “ceasefire monitoring commitments under American leadership” and “long-term support to Ukrainian armed forces who are and will remain in the frontline of defense”.
The leaders did not details on the size of the force.
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after the talks that they will not put troops inside Ukraine. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his forces will be based in neighboring countries.
Asked if the US would assist European forces who were attacked in Ukraine, Witkoff said the security guarantees were “as strong as anyone has ever seen” and were meant to “deter any further attacks”.
He declared, “The President does not back down from his commitments. He is strong for the country of Ukraine and for a peace deal. We will be there for the Ukrainians in helping them to get to that final peace.”
A draft statement considered by the meeting said American participation includes “US capabilities such as intelligence and logistics” and “a US commitment to support the force in case of attack” by Russia.
Binding commitments to support Ukraine in the case of a future armed attack by Russia…may include the use of military capabilities, intelligence and logistical support, diplomatic initiatives, adoption of additional sanctions.
Territory Still Unresolved
Zelensky said the status of Ukrainian-controlled territory is still unresolved. “We have a number of ideas that could be helpful,” he said. If there was no agreement, he is ready to discuss proposals directly with Trump.
The Kremlin-Witkoff-Kushner ultimatum from late October included Ukraine handing over to Russia the rest of the strategic Donetsk region in the east of the country. Ukraine and Europe have countered with a proposal for a demilitarized free economic zone, with a pullback of both Ukrainian and Russian forces.
Starmer indicated that leaders expect Vladimir Putin to reject the final agreed plans.
We are closer to [peace] than ever but of course the hardest yards are still ahead. We can only get to a peace deal if Putin is ready to make compromises. Putin is not showing he is ready for peace.
With the U.S. President’s team – @SEPeaceMissions Steve Witkoff and @jaredkushner – we continued discussions on the diplomatic path to ending the war. I thank the United States for its readiness to provide a backstop in all areas: security guarantees, monitoring of the ceasefire,… pic.twitter.com/8BfSxx1l4Z
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 6, 2026