Ukraine allies to meet Monday co-chaired by France, UK, Germany

PARIS, Aug 21: Countries allied with Ukraine in its war with Russia will meet on Monday to reaffirm support for Kyiv, in talks held on Ukraine's independence day, the French presidency said Friday.

The meeting of the Coalition of the Willing will be co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron -- joining via video link -- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the Elysee Palace said.

Around 10 leaders including European Council chief Antonio Costa will be in Kyiv for the coalition meeting, according to an EU official.

NATO announced that its deputy secretary-general RadmilaShekerinska would take part remotely.

The meeting comes as Moscow has increasingly targeted the Ukrainian capital with ballistic missiles.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged a global response to Moscow's "escalation" of the four-year war.

In July, representatives of the 37 coalition members -- including Zelensky -- gathered for the 16th meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.

It was launched by France and the United Kingdom to provide military support to Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. �"AFP