France and Britain have confirmed their intention to deploy soldiers to Ukrainian territory after a final cease-fire, as part of a broader security package for Kiev to avoid a repeat of a full-scale Russian invasion in the future.
The pledge was signed in a formal declaration by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the end of a Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris on Tuesday.
“After the ceasefire, we can say that the UK and France will establish military bases across Ukraine and build shelters for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine’s defense needs,” Starmer said in his conclusion.
President Macron said he would deploy multinational forces in the air, sea and land “away from the line of contact” to provide the necessary “reassurance” that Russia would not attack Ukraine again. He said Türkiye would also participate in the operation with maritime support.
“Security is the key to ensuring that the peace agreement does not mean the surrender of Ukraine or new threats to Ukraine,” President Macron said.
The guarantees the allies discussed on Tuesday also include a high-tech mechanism to monitor the U.S.-led ceasefire and legally binding obligations to support Ukraine in the event of another Russian attack.
This obligation appears to be modeled on NATO’s Article 5 of collective self-defense, and could mean not just military aid, but also logistics, economics, and diplomacy.
Crucially, the bill requires ratification by national parliaments, which could prove difficult in countries where support for Ukraine is wavering. In the case of the United States, it would have to go through the U.S. Congress for approval.
It remains unclear how much each member state of a multinational force will contribute, both in terms of multinational forces and Article 5-like obligations.
After Tuesday’s meeting, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his country’s contribution would require the consent of the Bundestag and that the deployment of troops would be limited to Ukraine’s neighbors.
But Mertz also said, “We basically don’t rule out anything.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced he would begin talks with major political parties to discuss Spain’s contribution, which he said could include the military.
“It opens up the possibility that 2026 will be the year the war ends. This is very good news,” Sanchez said. “Europe never wanted this war.”
“A big step forward”
Tuesday’s rally brought together leaders from about 30 Western countries, along with representatives from Türkiye, Australia, Japan and New Zealand.
The U.S. delegation was led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two chief negotiators appointed by President Donald Trump. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was originally scheduled to attend, but plans were changed due to recent events in Venezuela.
“President Trump’s mission is to see peace in Ukraine, and we are determined to do everything on his behalf,” Witkoff said.
Also present in Paris were European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President Costa, High Representative Kaja Kaja, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Alexes Grinkevich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (Sakur), NATO’s highest military authority, also attended the meeting.
von der Leyen said the meeting was a “powerful expression of unity”, saying: “We stand united in supporting Ukraine and look forward to a safe, secure and prosperous future.”
The leaders sought to flesh out and articulate a security structure built around five key pillars: a U.S.-led verification mechanism, military support to the Ukrainian military, military support to a multinational force led by France and the United Kingdom, legally binding obligations to assist in the event of a new attack, and long-term defense cooperation with Ukraine.
The obligation to support Ukraine is First pitch At a conference in Berlin last month, comparisons were drawn to Article 5 of the right to collective self-defense, a core foundation of the Atlantic Alliance, although leaders did not use the term publicly.
For Kiev, a credible deterrent is an essential condition for abandoning its constitutional aspirations to join NATO, which Russia firmly opposes and, under President Donald Trump, does not support.
Still, the path to guarantees like Article 5 is fraught with questions.
European governments will need to persuade many of their parliaments, crippled by political deadlock, to agree to vital commitments.
The obligation to assist Ukraine in the event of an attack would depend on mechanisms to monitor the eventual cessation of hostilities. This mechanism is of great importance as it is envisioned as a system of high-tech sensors along the entire line of contact and will help verify potential violations and allocate responsibility.
If allies conclude that Russia is responsible, Article 5-like assistance would be triggered. European officials briefed on the discussions said triggering the clause would ultimately be a political decision rather than automatic.
President Zelenskiy hailed Tuesday’s meeting as a “huge step forward” but noted that efforts were still not enough. “It’s enough that the war in Ukraine ends,” he said.
At this stage, Russia has shown no intention of ending the war by compromising on a peace deal and has continued its pace of drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, killing scores of civilians and infrastructure.
“A peace deal can only be reached if President Putin is willing to compromise,” Starmer said. “Contrary to Russia’s words, President Putin has not shown that he is ready for peace.”
