#securityguarantees

“I emphasized the importance of further strengthening sanctions pressure on Russia so that the cost of the war becomes prohibitive.” ~ Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine 🇺🇦🇪🇺💙💛🇺🇸🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . The “Coalition of the Willing” held an online meeting at the level of armed forces commanders-in-chief to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Jan. 18.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has argued that any peace deal must be backed by binding security guarantees, cautioning that without them Russia could renew its aggression against Ukraine.

Syrskyi told participants that Russia shows no readiness to end the war and continues its “terror” against civilians in Ukraine, pointing to strikes on energy infrastructure during severe winter weather.

The attacks have disrupted heat and electricity supplies nationwide, prompting the Ukrainian president to declare a state of emergency in the country’s energy sector.

“I emphasized the importance of further strengthening sanctions pressure on Russia so that the cost of the war becomes prohibitive,” Syrskyi said, adding that allies must also deepen cooperation to boost defense-industrial capacity and military capabilities across Europe.

The talks also focused on sustaining military aid to Ukraine, which Syrskyi described as essential for maintaining combat effectiveness and inflicting “significant losses” on Russian forces.

Representatives from France, the United Kingdom, NATO, and the EU took part in the meeting, Syrskyi said, without disclosing the total number of participants.

Zelensky said on Jan. 12 that he had instructed Ukraine's negotiating team to finalize a security guarantees document with the United States and submit it for review "at the highest level."

The Coalition of the Willing is expected to deploy a peacekeeping force to Ukraine after a ceasefire.

Photo: Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

“French President Emmanuel Macron said that 26 countries are ready to send troops or contribute other support to Ukraine as part of security guarantees.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦🇪🇺💙💛🇺🇸🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders on Sept. 4, hours after the “Coalition of the Willing” summit in Paris, where officials discussed security guarantees for Ukraine.

Speaking at the press conference held after the call, French President Emmanuel Macron said that 26 countries are ready to send troops or contribute other support to Ukraine as part of security guarantees.

“Germany, Italy, and Poland are definitely among Ukraine’s security guarantors. We won’t go into details yet, but we already have an understanding (of cooperation),” Zelensky added.

The U.S. involvement in the framework, aimed to shield Ukraine from future Russian aggression in the event of a truce or peace deal, will be determined in the coming weeks, Macron said.

He added that the U.S. and Europe will impose additional sanctions on Russia if it continues to refuse to participate in the peace process. He mentioned the previously discussed idea of a bilateral meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as broader talks involving the U.S. and Europe.

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Photo: Ludovic Marin/POOL/AFP

Upcoming talks are being organized to determine “the security guarantees Ukraine’s backers can provide to prevent further Russian aggression.” 🇺🇦💙💛🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . European leaders are set to meet to coordinate the next steps on security guarantees for Ukraine after high-level talks in Washington, as diplomatic efforts intensify ahead of a possible trilateral summit involving Kyiv and Moscow.

Following the White House talks, they are expected to reconvene in multiple formats over the coming days to align positions before the next high-level contact with Washington and Kyiv.

EU ambassadors met early Aug. 19 to prepare for a call with the Coalition of the Willing leaders and a subsequent virtual summit of EU leaders to follow up on the White House discussions.

The talks, convened by European Council President Antonio Costa, are expected to debrief leaders and prepare further discussions on the security guarantees Ukraine’s backers can provide to prevent further Russian aggression.

European officials confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that a series of meetings among the participant countries of the "Coalition of the Willing" could take place in the coming days to hash out the details.

National security advisors are expected to hammer out a skeleton of a proposal over the next week, according to people familiar with the matter.

A broad understanding was there that this should include a well-equipped Ukrainian Armed Forces without limitation on its size or decision-making, a future multinational "reassurance force" ready to support Kyiv after a potential ceasefire, as well as U.S. support for any guarantees, they said.

Next to the other two, in what form the latter might come remains vague after the White House talks, as Washington up until now has been reluctant to commit to the extent of its involvement.

European officials have pointed out that Trump has started using the term "presence of the United States" in addition to previously speaking about those security guarantees to be provided in "coordination with the United States."

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Photo: Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images