President Emmanuel Macron, from France, promised Thursday that a “coalition of volunteers” would continue to support Ukraine in the war against Russia and would help protect a possible peace – including, for certain countries of Europeans, by sending a “comfort force” to Ukrainian soil after the end of the conflict.
But Mr. Macron, who spoke at the end of a rally of European leaders in Paris, said that the contours of this force were still being postponed and that the details were willing to do what was still rare.
This aggravated a feeling of disorder around diplomatic efforts to stop fighting, which started when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Even if the leaders met, Russia was faced with accusations that it wrote mediated negotiations by the United States in Saudi Arabia to gain the top. And this is an open question what role the United States would be ready to play to support a European force stationed in Ukraine.
“We have to accelerate discussions to get a cease-fire, we have to speed up our ability to finance and deliver weapons, and prepare plans for the Ukrainian army and the comfort force,” Macron said at a press conference after the meeting.
But after three hours of discussion, Great Britain and France were still the only countries engaged in the idea. Russia called him unacceptable.
Maria V. Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told journalists on Thursday that such a deployment would be “a military intervention in Ukraine under the guise of a peacekeeping mission”.
“This could lead to a direct military confrontation between Russia and NATO,” she added.
Mr. Macron said all European force would not be on the front line and would not be responsible for monitoring or applying a cease-fire. This work, he suggested, could come across the soldiers of peace or other independent monitors, while European troops would be based further from the front to dissuade Russia. Europeans would also help train and support Ukrainian forces.
Mr. Macron admitted that the leaders had not found “unanimous” on a comfort force. Italy only wants to send troops to the field if they are part of a United Nations mission, while Poland excluded it entirely. However, Mr. Macron said that France and Great Britain would send military delegations to Ukraine to establish plans for the future of the Ukrainian army and for the size and scope of a comfort force, with more details expected in about a month.
“It is these military exchanges to military that will define the locations, the number of forces to make it credible and the capacities,” said Macron. “Nothing has yet been excluded. We look at the sea, the air and the earth. “
Thursday’s meeting intervened after similar rallies of leaders and military leaders in France and Great Britain, who are exercising efforts to help Ukraine despite the vacillating American commitment. Paris leaders have also promised to increase the short -term military aid for Ukraine, said Macron, in particular by accelerating the disbursement of supported by Russian assets that were agreed last year.
“We also unanimously agreed that it was not the time to raise sanctions, whatever they were,” he said.
“It is clear that the Russians are obstructing,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Great Britain at the meeting, According to his office.
President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff Called the idea of a European force in “simplistic” Ukraine and “a posture and a pose” – even if the Trump administration has repeatedly reprimanded Europe for having done too little to defend itself. Trump has not shown no desire to provide Ukrainian American security guarantees, which, according to Mr. Starmer, would be necessary for most European countries to plan to commit troops.
Regarding American support, Mr. Macron said: “You have to hope for the best but prepare the worst.”
Mr. Macron said he spoke to Mr. Trump by phone before the meeting on Thursday and would make him inform later. He also seemed to appeal to Mr. Trump’s aversion to be on the wrong end of an agreement, suggesting that Russia – which, unlike Ukraine, did not accept an unconditional cease -fire of 30 days – flouillated his efforts.
“If this clear response from Russia does not come, President Trump will feel cheated, betrayed, rightly, and then he will have to react,” said Macron.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, from Ukraine, expressed his satisfaction after the meeting, listing the European promises to invest in Ukrainian drones and the production of electronic war, and to maintain sanctions against Russia as long as war continues.
“I think all the leaders are all loaded,” said Zelensky at a separate press conference. “I think they will not abandon us and continue to support Ukraine.”
But he wanted plans for a ceasefire and security guarantees to move more quickly.
“Unfortunately,” he said, “what we would like to do in a week takes months to achieve.”
Catherine Porter Paris contributed reports, Mark Landler from London, Ivan Nechepurenko of Tbilisi, Georgia and Maria Varenikova From Kyiv, Ukraine.
