The Kremlin has dismissed any proposal that foreign troops could be stationed in Ukraine to guarantee its security, after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 Western allies had pledged to support Kyiv once a ceasefire is reached.
Macron, speaking after a summit of 35 nations described as the “Coalition of the Willing,” said commitments could involve forces “by land, sea or air.” He added that US support would be confirmed in the coming days.
President Donald Trump has indicated Washington’s role would “probably” involve air support, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had discussed with Trump the need for “maximum protection of Ukraine’s skies.”
However, the Kremlin made clear it would not accept the deployment of Western forces. “Can Ukraine’s security guarantees be ensured and provided by foreign, especially European and American, military contingents? Definitely not,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media.
Moscow has insisted it should itself be one of Ukraine’s “security guarantors,” a proposal Kyiv and its allies have rejected outright.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Western allies had made an “unbreakable pledge” to Ukraine, backed by the US. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also stressed that the immediate priority was achieving a ceasefire before working on long-term guarantees.
Read Also: Trump Moves To Rename Pentagon As Department Of War
Despite those calls, French officials accused Russia of continuing to deploy troops inside Ukraine, complicating prospects for negotiations. On Thursday, two civilians clearing mines were killed in a Russian strike in northern Ukraine.
Energy supplies remain another flashpoint. Trump urged the EU to join the US in blocking imports of Russian oil and gas, arguing Moscow’s “war machine” must be stopped by economic means. The EU has pledged to phase out Russian fuel imports by 2027.
NATO’s new secretary-general, Mark Rutte, insisted Moscow had “no veto” over Western deployments, saying: “Ukraine is a sovereign nation. It is not for Russia to decide.”
More than three years into the war, prospects for a peace deal remain distant. Putin suggested Zelensky could visit Moscow for talks, an idea Kyiv dismissed as unacceptable. Trump, however, said he believed an agreement was still possible: “I think we’re going to get it all straightened out.”