Macron says 26 countries commit to Ukraine ceasefire deployment

Paris, Sep 5 (IANS) French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 countries, mostly European, have formally pledged to deploy troops as part of a future Russian-Ukrainian ceasefire, though not directly on the front line.

Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference following the meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing," Macron said the countries would contribute to a "reassurance force" that could deploy troops in Ukraine or provide support on land, at sea, or in the air.

He added after the summit, participants held a call with US President Donald Trump and the United States is expected to finalize its contributions to the security guarantees in the coming days, Xinhua news agency reported.

President Donald Trump recently indicated that US backing could "probably" come in the form of air support, and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken to the US leader about "maximum protection for Ukraine's skies".

After a summit of 35 countries dubbed the "Coalition of the Willing", the French president said US support would be finalised in the coming days.

Zelensky welcomed the announcement as a "concrete" step forward and stressed that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whether bilateral or trilateral, is "necessary" for advancing peace efforts.

The announcement followed a virtual meeting of the coalition on Thursday, co-chaired by Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The group, which brought together around 30 countries, mostly European, has committed to providing security guarantees to Ukraine.

--IANS

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