Europe ready to pledge security guarantees for Ukraine, Macron says

French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe is prepared to provide Ukraine with security guarantees once a peace accord is reached, as Kyiv and European leaders gather in Paris to step up pressure on Russia to end its three-and-a-half-year war.

“We are ready, we the Europeans, to offer the security guarantees to Ukraine and Ukrainians the day that a peace (accord) is signed,” Caliber.Az quotes Macron as saying at the Elysée Palace alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing French media.

European leaders and Zelenskyy will meet in Paris on September 4 for a summit co-chaired by France and Britain, aimed at finalising security arrangements for Ukraine and clarifying Washington’s role. Officials say details remain confidential but could involve deployment of European troops, training programmes and U.S. “backstop” support.

Russia dismissed the initiative. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the guarantees “absolutely unacceptable” and said foreign troops would not be tolerated “in any format.”

Zelenskyy expressed confidence that allies would help increase pressure on Moscow. “Unfortunately, we have not yet seen any signs from Russia that they want to end the war,” he said.

The talks follow President Vladimir Putin’s visits to China and the United States, where he showcased ties with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Speaking in Beijing, Putin said Russian forces were advancing “on all fronts” and claimed Ukraine’s army could no longer mount an offensive.

Ahead of the Paris summit, Zelenskyy told a French magazine that European guarantees “might not be enough” to deter Putin. “We need an alliance between Europe and the United States,” he said.

Zelenskyy is expected to hold phone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on September 4 before a joint press conference with European leaders. Trump has suggested Washington could support a European peacekeeping plan but ruled out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine.

European frustration with Moscow has deepened. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this week branded Putin “perhaps the most severe war criminal of our time,” while Macron last month described him as “an ogre at our gates.” French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Russia could prolong the conflict indefinitely, warning that deception was part of “a well-known Russian strategy.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev