
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that 26 countries, mostly European, have pledged to send troops as part of a future Russian-Ukrainian ceasefire.
He clarified that the troops would not deploy on the front line but would form a ‘reassurance force’ to provide support on land, at sea, or in the air.
Macron and Zelensky Present United Front
Macron announced at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ meeting.
Zelensky welcomed the pledge as a ‘concrete’ step forward and underscored that talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin—whether bilateral or trilateral- remain ‘necessary’ to advance peace efforts.
Following the summit, coalition members held a call with US President Donald Trump. Macron said the United States would finalise its contribution to Ukraine’s security guarantees in the coming days.
Trump recently suggested that US support could ‘probably’ take the form of air power.
Zelensky confirmed he had spoken with Trump about ensuring ‘maximum protection for Ukraine’s skies’.
The announcement came after a virtual summit of 35 countries, co-chaired by Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The coalition, comprising mostly European nations, reaffirmed its commitment to provide long-term security guarantees to Ukraine.
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