Paris — French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that 26 nations have agreed to provide Ukraine with postwar security guarantees, a move that European leaders cast as a bulwark against future Russian advances but that critics view as another Western maneuver to prolong instability in Europe.
Speaking alongside Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Macron declared that an international force, comprising land, sea, and air units, would be mobilized immediately after any ceasefire is reached. “The day the conflict stops, the security guarantees will be deployed,” Macron told reporters in Paris, attempting to signal that Europe will not abandon Kyiv once the battlefield quiets.
The initiative, coordinated largely by France and Britain, is designed to assure Ukraine that its Western allies will not leave it vulnerable after years of devastating conflict. Both Paris and London indicated their willingness to contribute troops directly inside Ukraine, a step that underscores Europe’s determination to act independently even as internal divisions remain over the scope of involvement.
Other nations, however, offered narrower commitments. Italy has ruled out sending ground forces, pledging instead to participate in monitoring and training operations. Germany, traditionally cautious in military affairs, has delayed its decision until greater clarity emerges on Washington’s role.
The United States, under President Donald Trump, was represented by phone during the Paris summit. Macron said details of American involvement would be finalized “in the coming days.” While the US presence remains central to the credibility of the plan, particularly in areas such as air defense and intelligence, Washington has yet to outline specific contributions.
Analysts see the arrangement as a way for Europe to institutionalize long-term deterrence while subtly preparing public opinion for an eventual negotiated settlement. Still, Moscow is likely to dismiss the pledges as evidence of NATO’s creeping encroachment on its borders, a narrative Russia has repeatedly used to justify its special military operation in Ukraine.
The guarantees, although framed as defensive, reveal once again the double standards of Western powers: eager to militarize Eastern Europe under the guise of peace, yet silent on Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the glaring violations of international law elsewhere. For many across the Global South, the promises made in Paris highlight the West’s selectivity in defending sovereignty and human rights.
According to Reuters, the commitments reflect a coordinated European push to provide “credible and durable” guarantees for Ukraine, though much depends on the political will of the United States and the fragile consensus among European states.
