Overview
- A joint declaration in Berlin proposed a Europe‑led, U.S.-supported multinational force to help secure a potential ceasefire, with authority to operate inside Ukraine and no U.S. ground troops envisioned.
- Signatories included Chancellor Friedrich Merz and leaders from France, the UK, Poland, Italy, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, plus EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa.
- Russia publicly rejected any foreign troops on Ukrainian soil, with senior officials stating Moscow would not accept deployments by NATO states or a coalition of willing nations.
- Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius welcomed the intent but flagged unresolved issues over personnel shortfalls, command structures, a necessary Bundestag mandate and Bundeswehr capacity.
- Merz pressed to tap frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s recovery, with EU decisions expected this week as partners weigh financing alongside the undeveloped security framework.