A group of Western allies have agreed to send troops to Ukraine once a peace deal is reached with Russia.
26 countries have committed to the post-war pledge, which aims to protect Ukrainian security after the current conflict ends.
The announcement, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, followed talks between the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ — a bloc of Ukrainian allies, including Australia.
U.S. President Donald Trump has previously ruled out sending American forces to help defend Ukraine.
Ukraine war
Russia first invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Today, it controls at least one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
A recent strike on the capital Kyiv killed at least 23 people and damaged some buildings housing European officials.
Recent efforts to broker a peace deal have largely stalled.
The U.S. hosted the Russian and Ukrainian presidents for separate talks last month, which didn’t lead to a breakthrough.
Security guarantees
Ukraine has been pushing for security guarantees to form part of the peace terms in ending the war.
These guarantees would help defend Ukraine from future Russian attacks and station foreign forces in the country’s east.
The plan also includes sharing intelligence and equipment, which many of Ukraine’s allies already do.
During a recent meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy pushed for U.S. security guarantees, which Trump would not commit to.
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your details:
New deal
France hosted a virtual meeting of the 35 ‘Coalition of the Willing’ countries, vowing stronger support for Ukraine.
President Emmanuel Macron then confirmed 26 of those countries would send “reassurance forces” to Ukraine once a Russian peace deal was reached.
“For a ceasefire to lead to lasting security, robust security guarantees are needed,” Macron said in a social media post.
Macron didn’t specify which countries made the pledge, and how many troops they would each station in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has welcomed the announcement of the Coalition of the Willing’s security guarantees.
He said he separately spoke with Trump about “various options” for mapping out a peace plan.
“The key to peace is depriving Russia’s war machine of money and resources,” Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post.
CNN reports that Trump told the virtual meeting that Ukraine’s allies need to wean off Russian oil, citing unnamed White House sources.
Australia
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined this week’s virtual meeting.
In a read-out statement afterwards, the PM’s office said all the countries emphasised their “continued support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s aggression”.
“With our partners, we will keep working towards just and lasting peace for Ukraine on its own terms,” the readout said.
Separately, Trump and Albanese spoke over the phone, largely about trade tariffs.
