Portugal Colonial - Macron to co-chair Ukraine talks with Europe leaders while in UK: Elysee

"There will certainly be a discussion on how to seriously maintain Ukraine's combat capability," the Elysee Palace said, adding that Starmer and Macron will co-chair the meeting of Kyiv's allies by video link.

The meeting on July 10 will come as US-led peace talks on ending the more than three-year-old war against Ukraine have stalled.

The United States, Ukraine's biggest military backer since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, said Tuesday it was halting some key weapons shipments to Ukraine.

Macron will pay a state visit to the United Kingdom from July 8 to July 10, when he will receive a royal welcome and address parliament.

During the Ukraine meeting, Macron and Starmer will speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the French presidency said.

The summit will touch upon the deployment of "a reassurance force" to Ukraine after a ceasefire, the Elysee Palace said.

The discussions will also focus on "how to increase pressure on Russia to accept an unconditional ceasefire that it has consistently refused," the French presidency added.

Moscow has in recent weeks ramped up missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, as US support for Kyiv has appeared to waver under US President Donald Trump.

Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Thursday.

The US president said he made no progress with Putin on ending the Ukraine war, as the Kremlin insisted Putin would stick to his aims in the conflict.

G.Machado--PC