Coalition backs postwar Ukraine security framework as Putin warns

Leaders from more than 30 countries on Thursday pledged a postwar security framework for Ukraine, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying 26 nations had committed to provide troops or other forces as a reassurance presence if a peace deal is reached, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that any Western forces in Ukraine would be legitimate targets and reiterated conditional willingness to meet his Ukrainian counterpart in Moscow. The announcements and counterclaims came after a coalition of European and allied states met in Paris to sketch plans for security guarantees and after a flurry of diplomacy following a U.S. summit with Putin in Alaska last month.

Macron described the planned forces as a reassurance contingent to deter future Russian aggression, saying they would operate on land, at sea or in the air but would not be intended to fight Russia. He said the United States would finalize its contribution in the coming days. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the commitments and said the coalition discussed capabilities across land, sea, air and cyberspace, while stressing that a strong Ukrainian army must remain central to any guarantees.