French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that 26 of Ukraine's allies have committed to sending troops as a "reassurance force" 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 that support Ukraine. He said that 26 of the countries had pledged to deploy troops in Ukraine – or to maintain 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.
Macron said he, fellow European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a call with U.S. President Donald Trump after their summit and U.S. contributions to the guarantees would be finalized in the coming days.
The meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" was intended to finalize security guarantees and ask Trump for the backing that Europeans say is vital to make such guarantees viable.
Security guarantees are intended to reassure Ukraine and deter Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, from attacking its neighbor again.
