Macron says 26 countries pledge troops
as a reassurance force for Ukraine after war ends
[September 05, 2025]
By ILLIA NOVIKOV and SAMUEL PETREQUIN
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that
26 of Ukraine’s allies have pledged to deploy troops as a “reassurance
force” for the war-torn country once fighting ends in the conflict with
Russia.
Macron spoke after a meeting in Paris of the so-called “coalition of the
willing," a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine. He said that 26
of the countries had committed to deploying troops in Ukraine — or to
maintaining a presence on land, at sea, or in the air — to help
guarantee the country’s security the day after a ceasefire or peace is
achieved.
Earlier Thursday, Macron and other European leaders met with Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the U.S. envoy for peace talks, Steve
Witkoff, to discuss ways of ensuring long-term military support and
continued American backing for Ukraine once the conflict ends. Zelenskyy
also held a closed-door meeting with Witkoff.
Macron said at a news conference alongside Zelenskyy that the
reassurance force “does not have the will or the objective of waging war
against Russia," but will aim "to prevent any new major aggression and
to involve the 26 states very clearly in the lasting security of
Ukraine.”
Macron and Zelenskyy say US backs the plan
Though details of any U.S. participation in the security guarantees
remain unclear, both Macron and Zelenskyy said Washington had expressed
willingness to be part of the plan, and the Ukrainian president said he
was grateful about that. “As for in what format, I am not yet ready to
tell you in detail,” Zelenskyy added.
“The planning work will be finalized with the United States,” Macron
said.
Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who lead the “coalition
of the willing,” previously have insisted that any European
“reassurance” force in Ukraine needs the backing of the United States.
The European leaders — some of whom joined the meeting virtually — said
Russian President Vladimir Putin must now work toward ending the
fighting, and the German government suggested European sanctions on
Russia would increase if Moscow drags its feet. The European leaders
also spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump after their
meeting.
Starmer’s office said the British prime minister “emphasized that the
group had an unbreakable pledge to Ukraine, with President Trump’s
backing, and it was clear they now needed to go even further to apply
pressure on Putin to secure a cessation of hostilities.”
Trump phone call
Finnish President Alexander Stubb told Finnish media that, in the phone
conversation with European leaders, Trump emphasized the need to put
economic pressure on Russia, and said Europe must stop buying Russian
oil and gas that he said was funding the war.
Trump stressed that Russia received €1.1 billion in fuel sales from the
EU in one year, according to a White House official. Trump also
emphasized that European leaders must place economic pressure on China
for indirectly funding Russia’s war efforts, according to the official,
who was not authorized to comment publicly about the private talks and
spoke on the condition of anonymity.
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White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, left, shakes hand with
France's President Emmanuel Macron during a summit on Ukraine at the
Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (Ludovic
Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said that German
Chancellor Friedrich Merz laid out three “areas of action,”
including working toward a summit that would include Zelenskyy, and
“a ceasefire must be agreed there.”
“If the Russian side continues to play for time, Europe will
increase the pressure of sanctions to increase the chances of a
diplomatic solution,” the statement said.
The Ukrainian president said a meeting with Putin is needed. “This
is not a matter of a desire, this is a matter of necessity,"
Zelenskyy said. “We support any format, bilateral meeting,
trilateral meeting, I believe that Russia does everything to defer
it."
There was no immediate reaction from Russian officials.
Putin — isolated by Western leaders but backed by China in his war
effort — said Wednesday that he believed “if common sense prevails,
it is possible to agree on an acceptable option for ending the
conflict,” adding that Trump has “a sincere desire” to reach a
settlement.
Positive signals
In a policy shift earlier this month, the U.S. sent positive signals
over its readiness to support security guarantees for Ukraine that
resemble NATO’s collective defense mandate, Zelenskyy previously has
said. It is unclear what that support would look like in practice.
Ukraine is hoping for continued U.S. intelligence sharing and air
support.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that a broad coalition of
nations is needed to support Ukraine’s defense against Russian
aggression, but also to strengthen Europe to deter further military
action by Moscow.
Citing European military and intelligence officials who have warned
of Russian plans to strike other European countries, Rutte said that
“we have to make sure that our deterrence is such that they will
never try, knowing that our reaction will be devastating.”
Rutte also called for the world to “not be naive about Russia.”
“We know what Putin tries to do and and the evidence is there in
Ukraine as we speak,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Russia fired 112 strike and decoy drones
across the country overnight Thursday, according to Ukraine’s Air
Force morning report. Air defenses intercepted or jammed 84 drones,
the statement said.
Russia on Thursday announced that it was expelling an Estonian
diplomat in a tit-for-tat move after Estonia declared a Russian
diplomat persona non grata last month.
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Petrequin reported from London. Associated Press reporters from
across the globe contributed to this report.
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