In the City of Light this week, French President Emmanuel Macron pulled off a high-stakes diplomatic huddle that feels like a scene from an old-school summit room playbook — only the outcome is anything but settled. Leaders from over 30 countries came together under the banner of the Coalition of the Willing to try and put steel behind security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.
The goal? To bake a plan that doesn’t just talk about peace — it guarantees it. But this isn’t history’s first peace conference, and it sure won’t be the last where big promises meet even bigger geopolitical reality.
At the heart of the talks were Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top Western leaders including Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and senior U.S. envoys. The discussions aimed to finally cement what it would look like for Kyiv to be protected if — and only if — a ceasefire with Moscow takes hold.
Here’s the full picture:
🔹 A Declaration of Intent — With Teeth?
The summit produced a powerful document, The Paris Declaration, laying out “politically and legally binding guarantees” that would kick in once hostilities are formally paused. This includes a U.S.-led truce monitoring system, long-term support for Ukraine’s armed forces, and a European-led multinational force designed to help rebuild and deter future aggression.
Still, the catch is massive: these guarantees only activate after a ceasefire — and Russia hasn’t signaled any interest in one yet.
🔹 Troops, But Tied to Conditions
France and the United Kingdom have pledged forces that could be deployed to Ukraine once a peace deal is signed — not to fight on the front lines, but to act as a security presence and assist with rebuilding and deterrence.
Starmer made it clear that in the UK, Parliament will have a say before any troops go overseas — a reminder that democratic processes don’t always move at lightning speed.
The U.S. Angle
For the first time, senior American envoys — including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — joined these talks, and Washington signaled support for the security scheme. But critics say the U.S. commitments are still more diplomatic than operational, leaving Kyiv unsure how far Washington would go if Russia strikes again.
Zelensky’s Reality Check
Zelenskyy called the summit “historic,” but also bluntly admitted that Ukraine still hasn’t gotten a clear answer on what allies would actually do if war resumes after a ceasefire. That’s the very question that still hung in the air as leaders left Paris.
The Elephant Not in the Room
Even as this major diplomacy unfolded, global headlines were dominated by unrelated U.S. military action in Venezuela and renewed talk — seriously — of Washington eyeing Greenland. Some leaders quietly worry that these side dramas dilute focus from Europe’s biggest security crisis.
Why This Matters
This summit didn’t solve the war. It reframed the terms by which peace might be backed up with actual muscle, legal guarantees, and multinational coordination. But the big truth is old as diplomacy itself: promises on paper don’t always match reality on the ground — especially when one side hasn’t agreed to stop fighting.