Bloomberg reported the information.At last week’s security council meeting in Toulon, German and French officials discussed Russian troops gathering near Pokrovsk, a Ukrainian stronghold in eastern Donetsk, sources said.The coalition of the willing will meet in Paris to finalize European discussions on post-war Ukraine’s security guarantees and speak with Donald Trump.“The Europeans will likely want to tease out specific commitments about the US contribution to those assurances and to push Washington to tighten sanctions against Russia as Putin shows no signs of wanting to meet with Zelenskyy any time soon,” the outlet noted.The French aim for the meeting to show that Europe has backed Ukraine and that it is now up to the U.S. president to act on his threat to pressure the Kremlin.Meanwhile, Europeans lead talks on security guarantees for Ukraine, including possible troop deployments, which divide allies and anger Russia. Trump has ruled out deploying U.S. troops but said his country may provide air and intelligence support.“Ukraine is going to have to agree with whatever the security architecture is,” U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew G Whitaker said. However, Russia will also “have to be comfortable,” he added.Once Europe concludes its talks on the guarantees, leaders can collectively engage “even more intensely” with the U.S., said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday. Getting clarity on that issue would be “extremely important” before any meetings involving Putin and Zelenskyy, he said.A senior European diplomat said momentum from early last month’s diplomatic efforts has slowed, with talks stalling as Russia prepares further attacks on Ukraine.Russia also has stepped up air attacks amid Trump’s efforts to end the invasion. July became the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since May 2022 as 589 were killed and 1,152 wounded, according to the UN.With no sign that Russia will end its war soon, Zelenskyy and his international backers are working to bolster the Ukrainian army, viewing it as a key element of the country’s security.“Ukraine must be able to defend itself in the long term, and we want to help it do so, both now and in the future,” said the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.