Key Points
- Emmanuel Macron says 26 nations will provide Ukraine with post-war security guarantees across land, sea and air.
- France and the UK were open to troop deployments, while Italy indicated training and ceasefire monitoring roles.
- Vladimir Putin has said that any Western troops in Ukraine would be "legitimate targets".
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that any Western troops deployed to Ukraine would be legitimate targets for Moscow to attack, in a warning to Kyiv's allies as they discuss measures for its future protection.
Russia has long argued that one of its reasons for going to war in Ukraine was to prevent NATO from admitting Kyiv as a member and placing its forces in Ukraine.
"Therefore, if some troops appear there, especially now, during military operations, we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for destruction," Putin told an economic forum in Vladivostok on Friday.
"And if decisions are reached that lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply do not see any sense in their presence on the territory of Ukraine, full stop."
Twenty-six nations have pledged to provide post-war security guarantees to Ukraine, which will include an international force on land, sea, and in the air, French President Emmanuel Macron said after a summit meeting of Ukraine's allies.
Macron said he, fellow European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a call with United States President Donald Trump after their summit and US contributions to the guarantees would be finalised in the coming days.
French President Emmanuel Macron (left) has vowed stronger European security guarantees to support Ukraine beyond the war. Source: Getty / Mustafa Yalcin
Security guarantees are intended to reassure Ukraine and deter Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, from attacking its neighbour again.
"The day the conflict stops, the security guarantees will be deployed," Macron told a press conference at the Élysée Palace in Paris, standing alongside Zelenskyy.
European officials say peace looks a distant prospect for now but they want to be ready whenever the war ends. They also view the planning of security guarantees as a way to reassure Ukraine of their support, and hope Trump will join their efforts.
Macron initially said the 26 nations — which he did not name — would deploy to Ukraine. But he later said some countries would provide guarantees while remaining outside Ukraine, for example, by helping to train and equip Ukraine's forces.
He did not say how many troops would be involved in the guarantees.
'Very specific substance'
Germany and other countries pledged they would be involved in that effort. However, Germany said it would decide on a military commitment only when conditions were clear, including the extent of US involvement in security guarantees.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made clear she would not send troops to Ukraine, but said Italy was open to monitoring a ceasefire and training Ukrainian troops outside the country.
France and the United Kingdom, which co-chair the coalition of the willing, have indicated they are open to deploying troops to Ukraine after the war ends.
"We are working out which countries will take part in which security component," Zelenskyy said.
"Twenty-six countries agreed to provide security guarantees. Today, for the first time in a long time, this is the first such serious, very specific substance."
Trump pressures European leaders over Russian oil
On his call with the coalition leaders, Trump said Europe must stop buying Russian oil that he said is helping Russia fund its war against Ukraine, a White House official said.
"The president also emphasised that European leaders must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts," the official said.
Macron said the coalition and the US had agreed to work more closely on future sanctions, notably on Russia's oil and gas sector, as well as on China.
European governments have said European forces in Ukraine would need their own US security guarantees as a "backstop". Trump has made no explicit commitment to go that far.
His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with senior diplomats from France, the UK, Germany, Italy, and Ukraine ahead of the summit, before attending the opening session briefly.
European officials also sought to highlight the lack of progress towards direct peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy, following Trump's meeting with Putin in August.
Having rolled out the red carpet in Alaska, Trump later accused Putin of conspiring with China and North Korea after the three countries' leaders staged a show of unity in Beijing at a lavish commemoration of the end of World War Two.
