Twenty-six countries have pledged to contribute to Ukraine’s security after any ceasefire or peace deal with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference in Paris alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Macron said the commitments would include troops on land, sea and air as part of a "reassurance force".
"This force does not seek to wage any war on Russia," Macron told reporters after a summit in Paris that brought together around 30 of Ukraine’s allies.
Pressure on Moscow
European leaders gathered in Paris on Thursday in what they described as a renewed effort to press Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has vowed that Moscow will fight on if no peace deal is reached.
"We are ready, we the Europeans, to offer the security guarantees to Ukraine and Ukrainians the day that a peace accord is signed," Macron said on the eve of the summit.
He added that preparations had been finalised earlier by defence ministers, though the details remain "extremely confidential".
Zelensky said he was confident allies would help "increase pressure on Russia to move towards a diplomatic solution". But he warned: "Unfortunately, we have not yet seen any signs from Russia that they want to end the war."
Macron gathers European leaders in push for Ukraine security guarantees
Who's at the table
The summit was co-chaired by Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and brought together some nations in the so-called Coalition of the Willing.
Leaders attending included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Following their discussions, Macron and Starmer spoke by telephone with US President Donald Trump. A White House meeting with Zelensky is also planned.
Russia’s foreign ministry dismissed the pledges as "absolutely unacceptable".
Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Vladivostok that the plans were "guarantees of danger to the European continent" and that Moscow would not tolerate the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine "in any format".
NATO chief Rutte said earlier this week that the Paris gathering should bring clarity "on what collectively we can deliver" and on "what the American side wants to deliver".
Macron’s office has said Europe is prepared to lead, but only if Washington provides a "backstop" through intelligence, logistics and communications. Trump has insisted the US will not deploy troops.
Tanks and missiles roll through Beijing as China commemorates 1945 victory
Putin in Beijing
On Wednesday, Putin attended a large military parade in Beijing alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
He told reporters Russian forces were advancing on "all fronts" and that Ukraine’s army had been weakened to the point it could no longer launch an offensive.
Last month, Trump hosted Putin in Alaska, though those talks ended without progress.
European leaders have stepped up their language against Moscow.
"Putin is a war criminal," Merz wrote on X, describing him as "perhaps the most severe war criminal of our time".
Macron last month called the Russian leader "an ogre at our gates". French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu told the daily Le Parisien that Moscow’s strategy was to "buy time and deceive its partners and adversaries", citing Soviet-era KGB tactics.
(with newswires)
