Ukraine’s allies from across Europe did not all agree on the proposed deployment of troops in the country to back up an eventual peace deal with Russia and only some want to take part, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.
“It is not unanimous,” he said after wrapping up a summit on strengthening Kyiv’s hand and its military as it pushes for a ceasefire with Moscow. “We do not need unanimity to achieve it.”
Macron said France and the United Kingdom, which are driving the initiative, would forge ahead with a “reassurance force” with several countries.
Macron hosted the leaders of nearly 30 countries and NATO and European Union chiefs in Paris on Thursday. The summit comes at a crucial juncture in the more than three-year war, with intensifying diplomatic efforts to broker ceasefires amid pressure from US President Donald Trump to end the fighting.
Among those who attended were British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, as well as the NATO secretary-general and the Turkish vice president.
‘Reassurance force’
Macron said the members of the “reassurance force” were not destined to be peacekeepers, deployed on the front line or any kind of substitute for the Ukrainian army.
He emphasised that not all of Ukraine’s European allies would be represented in the force, with some states not “having the capacity” and some reluctant due to the “political context”.
The Franco-British delegation would begin talks over where such a force could be deployed.
It would have the “character of deterrence against any potential Russian aggression”, he said.
Macron said that the summit agreed that he and Starmer would together “co-pilot” Europe’s “coalition of action for stable and durable peace”.
The UK-France delegation would also discuss the shape of “tomorrow’s Ukraine army”, Macron said, emphasising the importance of a “strong Ukrainian army, well-equipped for the day after”.
Macron committed to a further 2 billion euros ($2.16bn) in French military support on Wednesday, including missiles, warplanes and air defence equipment. Zelenskyy said other partners could announce aid packages on Thursday.
The meeting comes days after the US said it signed separate agreements with Moscow and Kyiv for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, but Russia presented conditions.
They included a demand that sanctions be lifted on Russian state agricultural lender Rosselkhozbank and that it be reconnected to the international payment system SWIFT.
The European Union, which ejected Rosselkhozbank from SWIFT, said on Wednesday it can be reinstated only when Russia withdraws its troops from Ukraine.
The summit format aims to forge a role for Europe in any talks on ending the conflict. While the US was not present, French officials say the outcome of the gathering will be shared with the US administration.
Macron spoke with Trump before the meeting, the French presidency said.
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