In a pivotal Paris summit, Ukraine’s allies unveiled a blueprint for robust defense guarantees on Tuesday, pledging equipment, training, and multilayered air, land, and sea support to conclude Russia’s nearly four-year invasion and prevent future aggression.
The “coalition of the willing” — comprising leaders from Europe, Canada, the U.S., the EU, and NATO — endorsed a security declaration hailed by French President Emmanuel Macron as a “significant step” toward peace.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised the “excellent progress” but warned of persistent challenges, stating, “the hardest yards are still ahead” amid continued Russian strikes, the Associated Press reported.
Starmer stressed that true peace hinges on Moscow’s concessions, adding, “Putin is not showing that he is ready for peace.”
Post-ceasefire, he revealed, the U.K. and France “will establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine’s defensive needs.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the advancements, though emphasizing the need for national ratifications to activate commitments after any deal.
“We determined what countries are ready to take leadership in the elements of security guarantees on the ground, in the air, and at sea, and in restoration,” Zelenskyy said, per AP. “We determined what forces are needed. We determined how these forces will be operated and at what levels of command.”
He noted unresolved issues like ceasefire monitoring, Ukraine’s military size, and funding.
Zelenskyy cautioned that European troop deployments face barriers, with “not everyone is ready” for ground forces, though alternatives such as “weapons, technologies, and intelligence” are viable.
He deemed contributions from nuclear powers Britain and France “essential,” warning: “Speaking frankly as president, even the very existence of the coalition depends on whether certain countries are ready to step up their presence. If they are not ready at all, then it is not really a ‘coalition of the willing.'”
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff reaffirmed Washington’s commitment, saying the U.S. “strongly stands behind” the protocols, Reuters reported.
“Those security protocols are meant to a) deter any attacks, any further attacks in Ukraine, and b) if there are any attacks, they’re meant to defend, and they will do both,” Witkoff said. “They are as strong as anyone has ever seen.”
He highlighted the nearing completion of a “robust prosperity agreement.”
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, called it a “very, very big milestone,” adding: “This does not mean that we will make peace, but peace would not be possible without the progress that was made here today. If Ukraine is going to make a final deal, they have to know that after a deal they are secure, they have, obviously, a robust deterrence, and there’s real backstops to make sure that this will not happen again.”
A joint declaration committed to sustained military aid for Ukraine’s forces as the “first line of defense and deterrence,” AP reported. Allies pledged U.S.-led ceasefire verification, arms supplies, and “binding commitments” to address future Russian threats.
Force sizes remain undisclosed, with details pending.
The gathering, with 35 officials including 27 heads of state, featured pre-summit talks between Macron and the U.S. team — adjusted from Secretary of State Marco Rubio due to Venezuela operations.
Sideline sessions included discussions between Zelenskyy and Macron, as well as military chiefs from France, Britain, and Ukraine, with NATO’s U.S. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, on the execution of guarantees.
Optimism was tempered by U.S. shifts toward Venezuela and by Trump’s remarks about Greenland, prompting European leaders and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen to defend the island’s sovereignty.
Europe seeks U.S. military backing against Russia, demanding diplomatic finesse.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said contributions follow domestic processes: “Every partner in the coalition must, under its own domestic procedures, decide in due course what contribution it will make… Germany will continue to contribute politically, financially, and militarily,” Reuters reported.
He left options open, including post-ceasefire NATO-border deployments: “We basically rule nothing out.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged capitalizing on goodwill. “We all want to take advantage of this moment when Ukraine and all the countries that participated in this meeting today are demonstrating some goodwill. Let’s face it, Ukraine is ready for compromise, or at least is seriously and earnestly discussing compromise,” Reuters reported.
He advocated pressuring Russia: “We must … force or persuade Russia to finally sit down at the table seriously and discuss the terms of peace.”
Macron underscored safeguards against surrender. “These security guarantees are key to ensuring that a peace agreement can never amount to a Ukrainian surrender, and that a peace agreement can never result in a new threat to Ukraine.”
Macron clarified, “We’ve expressed our availability to be deployed in this multinational force. These are not combat forces… It’s for the day after there’s peace… That’s potentially thousands of men.”
Zelenskyy noted U.S. monitoring progress. “We had very substantive discussions with the American team regarding monitoring… America is ready to work on this….”
“We believe that documents on security guarantees are ready – bilateral, Ukraine-US, as well as trilateral documents. We expect that they may be signed in the near future.”
Russia stayed silent ahead of Orthodox Christmas, reiterating its demands and rejecting ceasefires without a full accord. Putin opposes NATO troops in Ukraine.
Priorities encompass monitoring, force support, multinational deployments, responses to aggression, and defense cooperation. Kyiv demands firm U.S. pledges to spur allies, wary of ceasefires that could enable Russian rearmament.
Amid talks, Ukraine’s SBU struck a Kostroma arsenal — causing hours-long blasts and evacuations — and a Lipetsk oil depot, igniting a massive fire, per an anonymous official.
