Macron Invites Ukraine Allies to Bastille Day as Zelenskyy Seeks Peace Talks

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday invited Ukraine's allies to attend France's Bastille Day celebrations in Paris on July 14. Speaking on the margins of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Montenegro, Macron said the so-called Coalition of the Willing nations would discuss support for Ukraine and attend France's annual military parade. Led by France and the U.K., the Coalition of the Willing is a loose alliance of over 30 countries aiming to provide Ukraine with security guarantees in case of a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin this week for the first time since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, calling for peace talks. The French president welcomed the move, telling reporters on Friday that it was a "good initiative." "Today it's Ukraine and Russia that can build a ceasefire and a peace plan," he said. "Europeans can help because we are the main contributors to the war effort." Macron noted Europeans should be "at the table" for negotiations because they are affected by the security implications of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. The French president also said he would meet Zelenskyy "in the coming days," confirming POLITICO's report that the Ukrainian leader had been invited to attend the G7 summit later this month.