Talks gain momentum, opening path to real progress toward lasting peace – Macron

Finally, there is a chance to achieve real progress towards lasting peace in Ukraine, the absolute condition of which is reliable security guarantees for Ukrainians, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.

"We are clearly at a turning point. Negotiations are gaining new momentum, and we must maintain this pace at all costs... finally, there is a real chance to achieve real progress on the path to a lasting, fair peace agreement," he said.

Macron stressed that "the absolute condition for such a lasting agreement is strong security guarantees"

"Ukraine has already had its share of promises that were broken by Russian aggression, so reliable, strong security guarantees are a necessity. I would say that this is the main, fundamental task of the entire coalition," the French leader noted.