Macron hopeful of US support to Kyiv’s security as 26 nations pledge troops

After 26 European nations pledged to send troops to Ukraine after the conflict is over, French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that there is “no doubt” that the US will support security efforts there.

Macron addressed the so-called coalition of the willing on Thursday at a meeting in Paris, followed by a video call to Donald Trump to demonstrate Washington’s commitment to Ukrainian security, which is viewed as crucial to any peacekeeping efforts.

The French president claimed that the US would announce its “reassurance force” “in the coming days” and that Washington would work with European nations to impose new sanctions if Russia continued to reject a three-and-a-half-year war.

Following mixed reviews from Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the summit in Paris was attended by European leaders.

Natacha Butler, a reporter from Paris, reported for Al Jazeera that Macron had stated that Trump had a “positive” conversation and that more information might be forthcoming about what the US might have to offer in terms of security guarantees.

That has been very vague indeed up until now, she said, citing Trump’s earlier statement that Ukraine would not receive US troops.

According to experts, any US operation would depend on the US’s ability to provide airstrikes and intelligence to nations outside of Ukraine.

“Crystal step”

The coalition of the willing’s 26 members, which include Canada, Australia, Japan, and Canada, are expected to provide increased training for the Ukrainian army and force deployment by some European nations.

Along with Zelenskyy, Macron and other leaders said, “We have today 26 countries who have formally committed to deploy as ‘reassurance force’ troops in Ukraine, or to be present on the ground, in the sea, or in the air.”

He stated that troops would not be “on the front line” and would “prevent any new major aggression.”

Zelensky applauded the decision, claiming that this was the first serious concrete step made today for the first time in a long time.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said that it was necessary to “go even further” to press Putin to end hostilities during the summit, according to United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed his concern for the scope of the involvement, but he also pressed for more pressure.

After the summit, a government spokesman said, “Germany will decide on military involvement at the appropriate time.”

Giorgia Meloni’s office, the country’s prime minister, stated that while Italy would not send troops to Ukraine, it could assist in the investigation of any potential peace agreements.

Peace talks stall.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin is currently showing no interest in a peace deal, with alarm rising after his well-known visit to Beijing this week. Countries met to discuss Ukraine’s security.

While Zelenskyy expressed “very pleased that things seemed to be moving forward,” Al Jazeera’s Butler claimed that Putin had no intention of bringing up any kind of peace negotiations.

Many viewed this as a call for capitulation, which Putin had previously stated he would be willing to meet with Zelenskyy in Moscow.

Trump, who hasn’t yet managed to broker talks between Zelenskyy and Putin, warned this week that if he was unhappy with Moscow’s next steps, he would “see things happen.”

In the absence of a peace deal that the Kremlin would approve, Putin has stated that Moscow is willing to “resolve all our military issues militarily.” Additionally, he has stated that he opposes the presence of European forces in post-war Ukraine.

NATO’s Mark Rutte responded, “It’s not up to them to decide.” “I believe we must stop making Putin too powerful,” he said.

Trump is “displeased” with his position.

Zelenskyy pointed the finger at Hungary and Slovakia specifically after the video call with Trump, saying that the US president was “very upset” that European nations were still buying Russian oil.

In 2022, the majority of Russian oil imports were prohibited by the European Union, but Slovakia and Hungary were made exceptions to this to give the landlocked central European nations time to find alternative oil sources.

Throughout the conflict, Ukraine has targeted the Russian Druzhba oil pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. The European Commission has been instructed by both countries to stop the attacks against Ukraine.

Trump “emphasised” that European nations must stop purchasing Russian oil, according to a White House official cited by Reuters, adding that the EU had already sold 1.1 billion euros ($1.28 billion) in fuel to Russia in a year.

The official added that the president also emphasized that European leaders must put economic pressure on China to fund Russia’s war efforts.

By January 1st, 2028, the European Commission has proposed legislation to stop imports of Russian oil and gas into the EU.

Source: Aljazeera