Europe Pledges Troops to Ukraine

26 countries formally committed to providing security guarantees for Ukraine following a summit in Paris.

Last month, President Trump met with Russian President Putin in Alaska to discuss the possibility of ending the war in Ukraine. Trump has expressed frustration about the lack of progress in arranging a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky. European leaders have been working on security guarantee plans, while the US has periodically indicated it could impose sanctions on Russia if peace talks do not advance.

Last Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron held a summit with 26 countries in an effort to pressure Putin towards a peace deal.

Macron said after the summit that the 26 nations were ready to be "present on the ground, in the sea or in the air" to provide security for Ukraine "the day after a cease-fire or peace." Macron declined to reveal specific details of the organization. Ukrainian officials proposed the principle of boots on the ground, with countries that are unable to send significant troop contingents potentially contributing fighter jets, air support, intelligence, Black Sea naval deployments, or financial funding instead.

During a virtual call with European leaders following the Paris summit, Trump turned his criticism toward the EU rather than Russia. A White House official claimed Russia received over €1B in fuel sales from the EU and said Trump emphasized that European leaders should put economic pressure on China for funding Russia's war efforts. The White House stated that it's up to Europe to pressure Putin.

Putin warned Friday that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine would be "legitimate targets for destruction." Putin offered to meet Zelensky only in Moscow, which Zelensky dismissed as unserious. Macron accused Russia of using "false pretenses, false openings, and delaying tactics" to avoid negotiating for peace, threatening more sanctions "in coordination with the United States of America."