The U.S. indicated during recent talks in Paris that it has developed a draft concept for how a comprehensive ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia might be monitored if one can be achieved, a Western official said.
"For a long time, we feared that the Europeans would not be around the table. Well, today, it is in Paris that the Europeans, the Americans, and the Ukrainians have met for the first time," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.
Military planners in London and Paris believe such a deployment could discourage Russian President Vladimir Putin from launching future offensives.
"(W)e will hold a meeting on Friday, there will be a meeting of our military teams among several countries, a narrow circle of countries. Those who will be ready to deploy a contingent in one form or another," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 1.
Military representatives from the "coalition of the willing" will meet in Ukraine later this week to discuss peacekeeping troops and security guarantees.
The Paris summit on March 27 will bring together Germany, Poland, the U.K., and other coalition members who have pledged to support Ukraine's post-war security.
"If there is a strong group of European nations willing to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, my strong conviction is that (the) Czech Republic should be among them," Czech President Petr Pavel said on March 22.
"If Russia does not plan to invade its neighbors again, it is not clear why it should not accept security guarantees that are only defensive," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
Washington is now focused on achieving a lasting ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on March 19 when asked about the current status of the potential minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine.
"A peace treaty may provide for unarmed observers in Ukraine, a civilian mission to monitor the implementation of certain aspects of the agreement, or guarantee mechanisms," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said.
"Ukraine is sovereign – if it requests allied forces to be on its territory, it is not up to Russia to accept or reject it," French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Le Parisien.
Italy does not plan to participate in a peacekeeping force on the ground in eastern Ukraine to guarantee a potential ceasefire, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said on March 15.
"Next week, we have already agreed that at the technical expert level, the teams will start talking about all the details," Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said.
"As I arrive in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a ceasefire in the three-year war the Russian Federation has waged on my country has never seemed closer," Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak wrote.
"We need to think about more durable solutions" than solely sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on the sidelines of the EU leaders' meeting in Brussels. "It’s a different thing than entering NATO, but it implies extending the coverage that NATO countries have also to Ukraine," she added.
"The best security guarantee are the Ukrainians themselves," European Council President Antonio Costa said at the end of a special EU summit in Brussels.
"We've strongly indicated we're willing to be a part of that, but I still believe it is going to require security guarantees from the United States," Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said on March 5.
The United States and Ukraine are making progress on a key mineral agreement that could strengthen long-term economic ties and pave the way for further security assistance, U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said on March 3.
It ended with a bang, not a whimper. By the close of this year’s Munich Security Conference, the old U.S.-led security order appeared to have changed unrecognizably. Now, as Russia’s full-scale war enters its fourth year and peace talks begin, without clarity on Europe’s or
"If our partners and allies are ready to discuss the possible deployment of these contingents to ensure peace and security in Ukraine... then we think it is quite possible to talk about the safety of the sky," Tykhyi said.
The summit comes amid major shifts in U.S.-European relations, with U.S. President Donald Trump sending clear signals that it expects the continent to take a larger role in the defense of Ukraine against Russia's full-scale invasion.
Key developments on Feb. 26: * Trump says he will meet Zelensky on Feb. 28 in Washington to sign agreement on minerals * No security guarantees in US minerals deal, to be discussed later, Zelensky says * US, Russia to meet again tomorrow in Istanbul, Lavrov says * No sanctions relief for Russia pre-deal
While it does not contain any concrete security guarantees, the agreement states the U.S. government "supports Ukraine's efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace."
Peace is an attractive, yet elusive, concept. It can mean different things to different people at different times. Ukraine is a case in point. The quest for peace could yield either of two fundamentally different outcomes: a Vichy-style capitulation, perhaps with an interim ceasefire that buys Russia more time to
According to the draft obtained by Axios, the U.S. would express its desire to keep Ukraine "free, sovereign and secure."
"We must act now to support Ukraine and boost Europe's security. No more talk shops — time for action," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda wrote on X.
"Ukraine is ready for investment, provided that the occupied territories are liberated and natural resources are protected," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"We want to be part of conversations linked to more Canadians being involved in protecting Ukraine," Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Feb. 18.
Europe is ready and willing to take a leadership role in providing Ukraine with security guarantees, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wrote on Feb. 17 on X.
Russia's UN Representative Vasily Nebenzya claimed that a ceasefire and freezing hostilities alone would not resolve the conflict, outlining Moscow's conditions for a settlement.
"It is very important, otherwise it will look like a dialogue about Ukraine without Ukraine," Zelensky told Reuters. "It is still important for partners to discuss their issues first, and then have a conversation with the enemy."
Continued weapons shipments, NATO accession, and EU membership are key security guarantees, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 15, noting that the country cannot engage in "games" reducing the size of its military. Ahead of potential peace negotiation, a large military was "the only security guarantee," Zelensky added.
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