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Zelenskyy praises European and American steps towards legally binding security guarantees for Ukraine
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Zelenskyy praises European and American steps towards legally binding security guarantees for Ukraine

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The United States has for the first time backed a broad coalition of Ukrainian allies by promising to provide security guarantees that leaders said would include binding commitments to support the country if it is attacked again by Russia – a move that won praise from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The pledge came at a summit in Paris of the Coalition of the Willing of mainly European countries to strengthen security guarantees to reassure Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, which would invade its neighbor in 2014 and again on a large scale in 2022.
Unlike previous coalition meetings, the summit was also attended by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law – and by America’s top general in Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, who had worked out the details of security guarantees with European military leaders a day earlier.
Witkoff, who has led the talks with Russia, said after the summit that Trump “strongly supports security protocols.”

“These security protocols are intended to deter any attack, any further attack in Ukraine, and if an attack occurs, they are intended to defend, and they will do both. They are as strong as anyone has ever seen,” he said.

Kushner said that if the Ukrainians were to reach a final deal, “they need to know that after an agreement they are safe, that they obviously have a robust deterrent and that there is a real backstop to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”

A statement from coalition leaders also said allies would participate in a proposed US-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism. Officials have said this likely involves drones, sensors and satellites, not U.S. troops.

A ‘signal’ of seriousness

Writing on Telegram after the meeting, Zelenskyy said the agreements were “a signal of how seriously Europe and the entire coalition of the willing are willing to work towards real security.”
But he added that it still needed to be determined how the monitoring would work and how the Ukrainian military would be supported and financed.

He thanked the US “for its willingness to provide a safety net in all areas – security guarantees, ceasefire monitoring and reconstruction,” adding that the Ukrainian delegation would continue its talks on key issues on Wednesday.

The statement was not explicitly endorsed by the US and details about the US role were toned down from an earlier draft, notably removing language outlining the use of US capabilities to support a multinational force in Ukraine.
But European officials welcomed the involvement of the US envoys and their strong comments as evidence that the US stood behind the security framework.

Russia has also given no public sign that it would accept a peace deal with the security guarantees provided by Ukrainian allies. It has previously rejected all NATO members with troops in Ukraine.

Coalition to ‘finalize binding commitments’

Until recently, the focus was mainly on commitments of military assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces and possible contributions to an international reassurance force.
But attention has now shifted to legally binding guarantees to come to Ukraine’s aid in the event of another attack by Russia.
The possibility of a military response is likely to spark debate in many European countries, diplomats say.

“These commitments may include the use of military capabilities, intelligence and logistical support, diplomatic initiatives and the adoption of additional sanctions,” the leaders’ statement said, adding that they would now “finalize binding commitments.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference after the summit: “We all want peace [in Ukraine] to be fair, sustainable and clear… we want this peace to have its guarantees.’
European leaders present at the meeting – including Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – stressed that the statement showed renewed unity between Europe and the US in helping Ukraine.
The leaders’ statement also pledged a European-led “Multinational Force for Ukraine… to support the reconstruction of Ukraine’s armed forces and deterrence” with “proposed US support.”
Ukraine has long said that it cannot be safe without guarantees comparable to the The NATO Alliance Mutual Defense Agreementto deter Russia from attacking again. Russia wants a peace deal to exclude Ukraine from military alliances.

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