France says 26 countries pledge Ukraine troop deployment if peace with Russia agreed

PARIS - Over two dozen countries have pledged to take part in a force to be deployed in Ukraine after any peace accord with Russia, aiming to deter Moscow from ever again attacking its neighbour, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sept 4.

A “reassurance force” for Ukraine is a key pillar of the security guarantees a coalition of mainly European countries want to offer to Ukraine if the war ends via a peace deal or a ceasefire.

However there is also growing concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently showing no interest in a peace accord, with alarm intensifying after his high-profile visit to Beijing this week.

European leaders spoke to US President Donald Trump via video conference after the summit in Paris of the so-called coalition of the willing, hosted by Mr Macron and attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Some European leaders attended in person and others, like UK premier Keir Starmer, remotely.

The meeting represented a new push led by Mr Macron to show that Europe can act independently of Washington after Mr Trump upended US foreign policy and launched direct talks with Mr Putin after returning to the White House.

The United States was represented by Mr Trump’s special envoy, Mr Steve Witkoff, who also met with Mr Zelensky separately.

‘First concrete step’

Europe has been under pressure to step up its response over three and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

“We have today 26 countries who have formally committed – some others have not yet taken a position – to deploy as a ‘reassurance force’ troops in Ukraine, or be present on the ground, in the sea, or in the air,” Mr Macron told reporters, alongside Mr Zelensky.

Mr Zelensky hailed the move. “I think that today, for the first time in a long time, this is the first such serious concrete step,” he said.

Mr Macron added: “This force does not seek to wage any war on Russia. It is a force to guarantee peace.”

The troops would not be deployed “on the front line” but aim to “prevent any new major aggression”, the French president said.

He added that another major pillar was a “regeneration” of the Ukrainian army so that it can “not just resist a new attack but dissuade Russia from a new aggression”.

Mr Macron said the United States was being “very clear” about its willingness to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine.

However, there was no clear indication that Europe had won the pledge from Washington of the security “backstop” it seeks and the American contribution remains unclear.

There are also divisions within the coalition, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urging more pressure but remaining cautious about the scope of involvement.

“Germany will decide on military involvement at the appropriate time once the framework conditions have been clarified,” a German government spokesman said after the summit.

Taking a similar line, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated at the meeting that Italy will not send troops to Ukraine, but it could help monitor any potential peace deal, her office said.

Before the Paris talks, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow would not agree to the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine “in any format”.

‘Play for time’

Frustration has been building in the West over what leaders say is Mr Putin’s unwillingness to strike a deal to end the conflict.

A Russian rocket attack on Sept 4 on northern Ukraine killed two people from the Danish Refugee Council who were clearing mines in an area previously occupied by Moscow’s forces, the local Ukrainian governor said.

The strike hit near the outskirts of the regional capital of Chernihiv, 125km north of Kyiv.

Mr Macron warned that if Russia continued refusing a peace deal, then “additional sanctions” would be agreed in coordination with the United States.

He accused Russia of “doing nothing other than try to play for time” and instead of seeking peace maintaining a “permanent war” by intensifying attacks against civilians.

“Russia has lost a million soldiers killed or wounded to conquer one percent of Ukrainian territory since November 2022,” he said.

The gathering followed Mr Putin’s high-profile trips to China and the US, where he met with Mr Trump in Alaska in August.

Speaking on Sept 3 in Beijing, where he attended a massive military parade alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, Mr Putin hailed his forces’ progress in Ukraine, adding that Russian troops were advancing on “all fronts”.

He said there was “no doubt” concerning the US readiness to take part in the security effort.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked European allies for agreeing to send troops to Ukraine post-war, describing the move as a first “concrete step”.

“I think that today, for the first time in a long time, this is the first such serious concrete step,” Mr Zelensky told reporters.

The French president also said that European countries would impose new sanctions on Russia – “in collaboration with the United States” – should Moscow continue to refuse a peace deal. AFP