Politico reported on June 9 that several anonymous French officials confirmed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish President Andrzej Duda were expected in Paris on June 12 to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.
According to Politico, the meeting will also focus on Ukraine's pursuit of NATO membership, as well as European sovereignty and defense.
"If we don’t find a solution that satisfies everyone, the risk is that we won’t reach… a unified statement and that would obviously be the greatest gift we could give to Russia," one diplomat said, as quoted by Politico.
Scholz and Macron have previously emphasized the need to focus on "stronger, concrete very clear security guarantees" for Ukraine over the country's NATO membership prospects, given that there is no clear signal as to when Russia's all-out war will end.
"Given the current situation, it is not about establishing membership ... We all have to focus on how we as individuals can support Ukraine," Scholz said in early June.
The French Foreign Ministry released a statement in late May that NATO allies were contemplating an Israeli-style security agreement for Ukraine.
However, Politico reported on June 8 that Western officials remain divided on providing security guarantees for Ukraine, questioning whether it is worthwhile when Ukraine is not yet a member of the military alliance.
Despite ongoing talks behind the scenes, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in an interview on June 4 that Ukraine deserves a "very quick path" since it "fights in the interests of NATO."
According to Morawiecki, Ukraine fights on behalf of the military alliance "in the sense that they are defending against this brutal Russian force which would jeopardize many other NATO countries," even though it is not yet a NATO member.
Asami Terajima
