Several European countries have moved forward with plans to send troops to Ukraine as part of a "reassurance force" in case of the ceasefire with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on March 27 at a summit of European leaders in Paris, which was also attended by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Leaders from 31 countries gathered at the event to coordinate military aid for Ukraine and discuss steps toward a just and lasting peace. The summit follows U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's proposal to form a "coalition of the willing" to support Kyiv.
The initiative is co-led by France and the U.K., which will both send military delegations to Ukraine in the coming days to discuss the so-called "reassurance force," as well as the future shape of Ukraine's army, Macron said.
France is pushing for the deployment of a Europe-led force somewhere along the Dnipro River in central Ukraine, away from the front line, the Associated Press (AP) reported on March 27, citing an unnamed French official.
According to the official, other options under consideration include deploying "reassurance force" in Ukraine's west or in a neighboring country.
Though Starmer still publicly held out for a coalition deployment to be supported by a U.S. "backstop," Macron said that it could take place "with or without" Washington's involvement.
"It does not have unanimity, but we do not need unanimity to do this," Macron said, adding that Europe will send its troops to Ukraine "with or without the U.S."
According to Starmer, any potential force deployed to Ukraine would boost the country's army with "a force designed to deter, in order to send that message to Putin that this is a deal that is going to be defended."
"We agreed here in Paris today that it’s clear the Russians are filibustering. They are playing games, and they’re playing for time," the U.K. prime minister said. "It is a classic from the (Russian President Vladimir) Putin playbook, but we can’t let them drag this out while they continue prosecuting their illegal invasion."
In mid-March, Starmer presented plans to send 10,000 peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, which is significantly smaller than the 30,000 troops he reportedly pitched to U.S. President Donald Trump during their White House meeting on Feb. 20.
Commenting on the "reassurance force" initiative, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "there are a lot of proposals from leaders," and "there are a lot of issues, there are fewer answers."
Both Macron and Starmer also said that now is not the right time to lift the sanctions from Russia, following Moscow's demand that Western sanctions on its agricultural exports be lifted before implementing a ceasefire in the Black Sea.
European leaders had previously been sidelined from talks between the U.S. and Russia — concerned that neither the EU nor Kyiv will have a role in negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Alex Cadier
(Updated: )
