Paris coalition to signal €70bn Ukraine aid and missile production
European and allied leaders will gather in Paris to reaffirm a €70 billion military aid package and discuss defence industrial cooperation, signalling to Moscow that Western resolve remains intact.
At least 25 heads of state or government will meet at the Hôtel des Invalides on Monday ahead of the Bastille Day parade to coordinate support for Ukraine. The gathering marks the latest expansion of the "Coalition of the Willing", a group created in Paris and co-led with the United Kingdom that has now grown to 37 nations. Moldova and North Macedonia will participate for the first time.
The diplomatic push is designed to counter any perception of "war fatigue" among Western populations and economies. According to an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron, the objective is to demonstrate that Moscow cannot outlast European resolve. This message builds on recent commitments made at the G7 summit in Évian and the NATO summit in Ankara, where allies pledged €70 billion in military aid to Kyiv for 2026.
Beyond financial pledges, Monday's talks will focus on tangible industrial and military cooperation. Leaders will discuss air defence integration, including newly announced US plans for the licensed production of Patriot missiles inside Ukraine. The agenda also includes the creation of a broader anti-ballistic missile system, an area of critical interest for European defence contractors and border security.
Discussions will also cover long-term security guarantees for a hypothetical ceasefire. The French presidency stated that plans to deploy a multinational force stationed away from the front lines are "ready", though they remain "subject to change" as peace remains distant. Any future framework would rely on legally binding bilateral agreements and US involvement in monitoring a cessation of hostilities.
The political meetings will spill into the public sphere on Tuesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend both days. Nearly 500 service members from coalition countries will lead the annual Bastille Day parade, which features 6,800 personnel—a 15% increase in troops and a 30% jump in vehicles and aircraft compared to last year. Aircraft from Germany, the UK, and eight other European nations will join the Patrouille de France, with two Mirage fighter jets carrying Ukrainian co-pilots trained in France.
