French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that 26 countries have pledged to take part in a proposed “security assurance force” aimed at supporting Ukraine in the event of a potential ceasefire with Russia.
The participating nations may contribute through deployments on land, at sea, or in the air, or by positioning forces within Ukrainian territory.
Speaking after a meeting of the coalition backing Ukraine, Macron stressed that the purpose of the force is not to engage in war with Russia, but to provide security guarantees to Ukraine.
Following a video call with US President Donald Trump, Macron affirmed that Washington supports the initiative, and that the details of American involvement will become clearer in the coming days.
He added that US officials had been very clear and that there are no disagreements regarding their participation.
The French president also underlined that the security guarantees are meant to ensure Ukraine faces no limitations on the size or capabilities of its armed forces during any peace negotiations.
He further noted that the EU is preparing new sanctions against Russia, in coordination with the United States, should Moscow persist in refusing to engage in a peace process. He confirmed that further contacts between US and Russian officials are expected.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that President Trump had expressed strong frustration during the call over some EU countries continuing to buy Russian oil, specifically naming Slovakia and Hungary.
