Overview
- Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky and Keir Starmer signed an intention declaration in Paris to provide security guarantees and to field a multinational force once a ceasefire takes hold.
- The planned contingent would be Europe-led, draw troops from willing states, and operate on land, at sea and in the air far from the contact line.
- A pre-circulated draft communique says the United States would lead a mechanism to monitor any truce and support the international force with intelligence and logistics, including in the event of renewed Russian attack.
- EU Council President Antonio Costa said the bloc will back Ukraine with personnel on the ground, funding and politically and legally binding guarantees after a ceasefire.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin could register forces on neighboring NATO territory to help secure a truce, subject to government and Bundestag approval, while Starmer noted France and the UK plan bases in Ukraine only if Russia shows readiness for peace.