French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 countries have pledged to give postwar security guarantees to Ukraine. These guarantees include deploying international forces on land, sea, and in the air once the fighting ends.

“The day the conflict stops, the security guarantees will be deployed,” Macron said at a press conference at the Élysée Palace in Paris. He spoke alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a major European summit.

Macron added, “We have today 26 countries who have formally committed – some others have not yet taken a position – to deploy a ‘reassurance force’ troops in Ukraine, or be present on the ground, in the sea or in the air."

Troops to Prevent Further Aggression

Macron clarified that these forces will not fight on the frontline. Instead, they will act as a deterrent, aiming to “prevent any new major aggression” against Ukraine once the current war ends.

Macron Clarifies Commitment Scope

Initially, Macron said all 26 nations would send troops to Ukraine. Later, he explained that not every country would have soldiers on Ukrainian soil. Some nations would provide security guarantees by training and equipping Ukrainian forces rather than deploying troops. He did not disclose which countries are part of the 26-nation coalition.

Zelenskyy Welcomes the Pledge

Standing beside Macron, Zelenskyy praised the announcement, calling it a crucial step for Ukraine’s future. “I think that today, for the first time in a long time, this is the first such serious concrete step,” Zelenskyy said.

Macron also confirmed that details of US contributions would be finalized in the coming days.

Summit Brings Together European Leaders

The announcement followed a summit of 35 leaders from what Macron described as a “coalition of the willing.”

The meeting aimed to finalize the security guarantees and press US President Donald Trump to clarify how much support the US would provide. However, not all European nations agreed to send troops.

Countries like Germany, Spain, and Italy have so far refused to make troop commitments. A German government spokesperson said, “The focus should be on financing, arming and training the Ukrainian armed forces,” signaling a strategy similar to Europe’s current level of support.

Concerns Over Trump’s Position

The summit took place a month after several European leaders rushed to the White House. Their visit followed the August Alaska summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which raised fears that Trump might pressure Zelenskyy into a surrender deal.

Such a deal, European leaders worried, could force Ukraine to cede territory and give up its ambition to join NATO.

Trump Pushes for Trilateral Talks

In response to Europe’s lobbying, Trump claimed he persuaded Putin to hold direct talks with Zelenskyy. However, Moscow rejected the idea and repeated its demands: Ukraine must surrender territory and commit never to join NATO.

Trump had set September 1 as the deadline for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, but both leaders ignored it. Speaking to The Daily Caller, a right-wing news outlet, Trump said, “We had a great relationship,” referring to Putin.

He added, “Thousands of people are dying; it’s a senseless war,” expressing his disappointment in the Russian leader.

Europe Finalizes Its Plans

Macron stressed that Europe remains firm in its commitments despite uncertainty over Trump’s position.“The contributions that were prepared, documented and confirmed at the level of defence ministers under the strictest secrecy allow us to say: this work is complete and will now be politically approved,” Macron told reporters.

This statement signaled that Europe is ready to move forward with its plans, even as US support remains unclear.