President Macron says 26 nations will deploy troops as part of strategic deterrence.

On Thursday, the Coalition of the Willing finalized commitments from its 35 member countries to provide security guarantees to Ukraine if a cease-fire is reached with Russia.

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After a meeting in Paris, European allies of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government agreed to pressure Russia to sit at the negotiating table. They were joined via phone by U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a joint press conference, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized to Zelensky that the coalition is ready to guarantee Ukraine’s security once a cease-fire, armistice or peace agreement is achieved.

Macron stressed that the Coalition of the Willing is “a coalition for peace” and said its main objective is to ensure that “no limitation of format or capacity” is imposed on Ukraine’s armed forces, which he described as the first line of deterrence against any potential future Russian attack.

Troop deployments from 26 countries

The second line of defense, Macron said, will be allied support. During the Paris meeting, 26 out of 35 countries committed to deploying forces either to support Ukrainian troops or to be present on land, sea or air.

Macron declined to provide details, saying he did not want to give away information to Russia, but stressed that all members of the Coalition of the Willing would participate. He said that Italy, Poland and Germany — countries that had been reluctant to send soldiers into Ukrainian territory — would now deploy their forces.

That deployment will not take place on the front line, Macron said, stressing again that the coalition has no intention of becoming embroiled in a conflict with Russia but seeks only to “guarantee peace” by sending “a strategic signal.”

Zelensky expressed gratitude that all allies understand the main security guarantee after the war must be “a strong Ukrainian army.” He also highlighted the coordination of positions and the review of “elements of security guarantees.”

The coalition countries will now begin political and legal work to formalize the commitments reached through the efforts of chiefs of staff and defense ministers.

U.S. involvement “in the coming days”

On U.S. participation, Macron said he had agreed with Trump that Washington’s support would be finalized “in the coming days.” Some members of the Coalition of the Willing had made that commitment a sine qua non condition for their involvement in providing guarantees to Ukraine.

“The United States has been involved at every stage of the process,” Macron said, citing the presence of Trump’s personal adviser Steve Witkoff and his meeting with Zelensky as an example.

According to Macron, his conversation with Trump also helped “coordinate” primary and secondary sanctions against Russia to ensure President Vladimir Putin fulfills commitments he made at the Alaska summit in August.

Pressure on Putin

More specifically, the Coalition of the Willing is pushing for an in-person bilateral summit between Putin and Zelensky, a trilateral meeting with Trump, and a quadrilateral meeting with European leaders.

Macron said Trump complained about two European countries that continue to purchase Russian oil. Although he did not name them, the complaint is believed to refer to Hungary and Slovakia.

“That is a good thing because sometimes those countries have defended themselves by pointing to their closeness with the new U.S. administration,” Macron said, adding that he also believes Europeans must stop buying crude oil from Russia.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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