Overview
- U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner joined European leaders and Volodymyr Zelensky to endorse a five-point framework that establishes a U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism.
- France and the UK signed a declaration of intent to deploy a multinational force after a ceasefire, with Germany and Spain signaling potential participation and Paris briefing MPs on a concept that could involve several thousand French troops.
- The Coalition of the Willing, a group of about 30 countries excluding the U.S., said it would help build defensive fortifications in Ukraine and participate in the proposed monitoring effort.
- European officials and analysts stress that large-scale deployments are unlikely without a binding U.S. pledge to support and, if necessary, protect European forces in the event of renewed Russian attacks.
- Any mission inside Ukraine would fall outside NATO’s Article 5 protections, prompting calls for separate legal arrangements or a UN mandate, with France preparing a parliamentary debate within two to three weeks.