France, UK and Ukraine Sign Declaration on Post‑Ceasefire Multinational Force

Overview

• Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky signed a declaration of intent for deploying a multinational force in Ukraine once a ceasefire with Russia is in place.
• The 35‑nation Coalition of Volunteers convened in Paris and endorsed robust security guarantees, with Zelensky praising the shift from rhetoric to concrete documents.
• U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner said the guarantees are practically finalized, though they cautioned that this alone does not secure peace.
• Germany’s Friedrich Merz said Europe aims to help ensure strong Ukrainian forces post‑ceasefire and pledged continued political, financial and military support, without detailing deployments.
• No ceasefire has been reached as Kyiv demands full Russian withdrawal and Moscow rejects NATO monitors, and European capitals are uneasy over the recent U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro.