First step toward Western presence: Ukraine, France, and Britain sign declaration
Illustrative photo: Ukraine, France, and Britain signed a declaration on a Western presence (Getty Images)
A coordination group has been established in Paris to ensure operational interaction between the countries of the Сoalition of the Willing, the United States, and Ukraine, this was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron during a joint press conference with the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing following the summit in Paris.
According to him, the new mechanism will allow for the full integration of the involved armed forces and ensure coordinated action at the operational level. The coordination group will operate in cooperation with the coalition headquarters, which is already functioning in Paris.
Macron noted that within the coalition, drawing on the work carried out over recent months, the security approach has been strengthened along two key directions.
The first direction is the creation of mechanisms to monitor compliance with the ceasefire regime. The US will play a leading role in this process, with the participation of a number of states that have expressed their willingness to become involved.
The second direction concerns long-term support for Ukraine, primarily its Armed Forces, which, according to the French president, remain and will continue to remain the first line of defense and deterrence against aggression.
"Therefore, we have planned, based on a voluntary force format of 800,000 personnel, training, capabilities, and all the means necessary to ensure that this force can deter any new aggression," he said.
In turn, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained the next steps following the signing of the declaration on multinational forces in Ukraine.
According to him, the signing of the document is only the first step, which initiates the process itself.
"These documents will also be legally binding. In most countries of the Coalition of the Willing, parliamentary approval is required. So after the declaration, after this process, the countries go to their parliaments. We are also counting on this support," he said.
Paris summit
On January 6 in Paris, Ukraine’s partners held a meeting focused on future security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of an end to the war with Russia. Key topics included aligning a common position among Ukraine, Europe, and the US, as well as the possibility of deploying foreign troops after a ceasefire is established.
It is expected that at the leaders’ level, the parties will finalize draft security agreements with an emphasis on guarantees and Ukraine’s recovery, after which the negotiations will continue in the US. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk suggested that documents formalizing a joint US-European position could be signed in the near future, likely in Washington.
According to Sky News, allies are also preparing to assume legally binding guarantees in the event of renewed aggression by Russia.
Ahead of the summit, Reuters published a draft declaration that provides for military, intelligence, and logistical support for Ukraine, diplomatic steps, and the introduction of additional sanctions against Russia; however, the document has not yet been approved by the leaders of the participating countries.
