European allies not united on armed deployment in Ukraine as Macron announces ‘reassurance force’

Emmanuel Macron has announced a plan for a “reassurance force” with several countries in Ukraine – but not all European allies have backed the idea.

The French president said some nations disagreed on the proposed deployment of an armed force to back up an eventual peace deal in Ukraine, with only some wanting to take part.

“It is not unanimous,” he said during a news conference after the third summit of the so-called “coalition of the willing” on Thursday, with leaders meeting in Paris to coordinate their stance.

Latest: Plan for ‘reassurance force’ announced

But Mr Macron said France and the UK, who are driving the initiative, will work with Ukrainian counterparts to decide where the contingents could be deployed in Ukraine.

“We do not need unanimity to achieve it,” he said.

The summit hosting the leaders of nearly 30 countries, plus NATO and European Union chiefs, comes at a crucial point in the war, which has lasted more than three years.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer – who was also at the meeting – has said Vladimir Putin must be given a deadline to make progress on a Ukraine ceasefire.

Following the summit, the prime minister spoke at a news conference at the UK ambassador’s residence in Paris and accused the Russian president of “playing games” and “playing for time”.

He told reporters he would like to see a peace deal in Ukraine develop in a matter of days and weeks instead of months.

When questioned about the “reassurance force”, Sir Keir said it was “designed to deter” Mr Putin and defend whatever peace deal is agreed.

He added: “This will require the engagement and support of the United States”.

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However, Mr Macron was more cautious, suggesting they may have to do without American backing. “We have to be prepared for a situation where perhaps they won’t join in,” he said.

While there were no details about which nations would contribute military assets, Sir Keir did confirm the coalition had “200 planners from 30 countries”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a positive reaction to the summit, adding there were “a number of countries who are prepared – either through the air or with boots on the ground – to provide security guarantees to Ukraine”.

Sir Keir also confirmed that Parliament would “have a say” if British troops were deployed on a long-term basis.

Donald Trump has said he wants to broker a swift end to the war. But a series of bilateral talks between the US and the warring sides has yet to yield significant results.

Agreements brokered by the US to safeguard shipping in the Black Sea and to halt long-range strikes on energy infrastructure have been widely welcomed as a first step toward peace.

But Ukraine and Russia have disagreed over the details and accused each other of violating the deals.