Western Leaders Scramble To Reach Security Guarantees for Ukraine 

Twenty-six Western nations agreed to provide postwar security guarantees for Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday, following a high-stakes meeting in Paris that highlighted deep uncertainty over US involvement and mounting doubts about Russia’s willingness to pursue peace, Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty reported. 

On Thursday, leaders from around 30 nations met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the French capital to outline plans for a “reassurance force” that could deter renewed Russian aggression after any ceasefire is declared.  

Following the meeting, Macron announced that 26 members of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” – a grouping of European nations along with Canada, Australia, and Japan – would deploy troops once there is a ceasefire to prevent Russia from attacking again, the Associated Press noted. 

He said the troops would not be deployed in the front lines but in areas decided upon, adding that US support for the plan will be finalized in the coming days. 

US President Donald Trump joined the meeting virtually and said he was willing to offer US support as a “backstop” but that Europeans must lead the initiative. 

While he remained hopeful of a ceasefire, he noted that Russia and Ukraine are “not ready yet” to make a deal, according to NBC News. 

The Paris talks came nearly three weeks after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, a summit that was aiming for a breakthrough to end the three-year-old conflict. It concluded with no progress toward a ceasefire.  

Trump suggested afterward that a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would be the next step, but the Kremlin has offered little support for such a summit, with Putin floating the idea of hosting talks in Moscow – a proposal swiftly dismissed by Ukraine.  

Even so, the US leader has left European leaders unsure of Washington’s direction, with Trump shifting away from pressing for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. He has yet to impose sanctions against Moscow – which he has repeatedly threatened to do – and has reiterated that European countries must carry the bulk of the burden in providing guarantees for Kyiv. 

Meanwhile, Russia has hardened its stance: Russian officials have rejected the proposal for placing Western forces on Ukrainian soil and have continued to demand territorial concessions. Kyiv insists no peace deal will involve ceding land. Meanwhile, it has continued to attack Ukraine with airstrikes. 

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova insisted that any Western troop presence in Ukraine would amount to “unacceptable foreign intervention,” ABC News wrote.  

Zelenskyy said that, although “we have not received any signals from Russia that it truly wants to end this war,” he remained convinced that a united European and US front could increase pressure on Moscow to make some concessions. 

Analysts explained that the lack of clear US commitments has left Europe in a bind.  

François Heisbourg of the Foundation for Strategic Research told the AP there is “no suggestion” troops would deploy without a ceasefire, while Ed Arnold, a former British military planner, noted that without firm US backing, “detailed operational planning is, quite frankly, impossible.”  

Other observers suggested that Europe may ultimately opt to supply Ukraine with more weapons rather than risk an uncertain multinational deployment.