Paris (TDI): The United States on Tuesday signaled its backing for a coalition of Ukraine’s allies pledging to provide long-term security guarantees to Kyiv, marking the first time Washington has openly aligned itself with such commitments aimed at deterring future Russian aggression.
The pledge came during a high-level meeting in Paris of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” made up largely of European nations seeking to reassure Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, according to Reuters.
Moscow first annexed Ukrainian territory in 2014 before launching a full-scale invasion in 2022. Unlike previous meetings, the Paris summit included senior US figures, among them special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, as well as America’s top military commander in Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich. Grynkewich had earlier held detailed talks with European defense chiefs on the structure of proposed security arrangements.
Speaking after the summit, Witkoff said President Trump fully supported the emerging security framework. He described the guarantees as robust measures designed both to deter further attacks and to respond decisively if Ukraine were targeted again.
“These protocols are meant to prevent future aggression, and if deterrence fails, they are designed to defend Ukraine,” Witkoff said at a joint press conference alongside leaders from France, Germany, Britain and Ukraine.
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Kushner echoed those remarks, stressing that any final peace agreement would only be viable if Ukrainians were confident in their long-term security. “They need to know that once a deal is in place, there are real safeguards and credible deterrence to ensure this never happens again,” he said.
Coalition leaders said they would take part in a proposed US-led mechanism to monitor and verify any ceasefire. Officials familiar with the plans said the system would likely rely on drones, satellite imagery and electronic sensors rather than deploying American troops on the ground.
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While the joint statement stopped short of explicitly committing Washington to the plan, European officials welcomed the presence of US envoys as a strong political signal that the United States stood behind the broader security framework.
Efforts to end the nearly four-year war have intensified in recent months, though Russia has so far shown little willingness to compromise. Moscow has also repeatedly rejected the idea of NATO forces operating inside Ukraine.
