PRESIDENTS VOLODYMYR Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron have said that 26 countries have committed to participating in protecting Ukraine’s post-war security, in the event of a peace agreement or ceasefire being reached with Russia.
The two presidents spoke to the media this afternoon following summit talks with what has been called the “coalition of the willing” in Paris, which was co-chaired by Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
US President Donald Trump joined by phone and his special envoy Steve Witkoff was at the meeting in person.
A host of European leaders, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, also took part in the lengthy meeting.
The agreement reached today, details of which are yet to be made fully public, includes supports for Ukraine’s defence capabilities and the deployment of a “reassurance force”.
Macron and Zelenskyy said that while 26 countries have committed to providing military support to Ukraine, the coalition contains a total of 35 states.
“We have today 26 countries who have formally committed – some others have not yet taken a position – to deploy as a ‘reassurance force’ troops in Ukraine, or be present on the ground, in the sea, or in the air,” Macron said.
He added that “this force does not seek to wage any war on Russia”.
He said he would not be releasing all the details of today’s agreement “with Russia listening”.
He described the product of today’s meeting as a military plan, adding that legal and diplomatic steps would come next.
The US has yet to indicate support for the security guarantee plan and Macron said a decision would come from Trump “in the coming days”.
Macron also said that European countries would impose new sanctions on Russia, “in collaboration with the United States”, should Russia continue to refuse a peace deal.
Trump has said that he does not want a ceasefire in the war, instead favouring a permanent peace agreement.
The Taoiseach said in a statement following the meeting and a conversation with Zelenskyy that Ireland was “open” to the idea of sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire or peace deal.
The offer of peacekeepers indicates Ireland’s continued policy of providing non-lethal support to Ukraine.
Martin also said that Ireland would continue to help Ukraine with its bid to join the EU.
I was pleased to have the opportunity today to meet again with like-minded European and international partners at a critical time for Ukraine and for Europe.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) September 4, 2025
Russia has heaped scorn on the idea of Western security assurances, and Putin himself has said Moscow is willing to “resolve all our tasks militarily” in the absence of an agreement.
Hours before the talks were due to begin, Russia’s foreign ministry said the notional guarantees for Ukraine were “absolutely unacceptable”.
“They are not guarantees of Ukraine’s security, they are guarantees of danger to the European continent,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the sidelines of an economic forum in Russia’s far east.
She added that Russia would not consider the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine “in any format”.
Today’s Coalition of the Willing meeting was attended by leaders in person and online. Over 30 countries, all united by the same goal: to end this war with a reliable peace and long-term security.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 4, 2025
We discussed in detail each country’s readiness to make a contribution to ensuring…
‘Alliance between Europe and US’
In an interview with French magazine Le Point published ahead of the summit, Zelenskyy said European security guarantees “might not be enough” to prevent Putin from starting a new war.
“We need an alliance between Europe and the United States,” he said.
The gathering today took place following Putin’s high-profile trips to China and the United States.
Speaking in Beijing yesterday, where he attended a massive military parade alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin hailed his forces’ progress in Ukraine.
He said Russian troops were advancing on “all fronts” and had hobbled Ukraine’s army so much it could no longer mount an offensive.
