The United States publicly aligned itself with a broad coalition of Ukraine’s allies in supporting future security guarantees designed to deter renewed Russian aggression, marking Washington’s most explicit backing yet of the framework under discussion by European partners.
The commitment emerged from a high-level meeting in Paris of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” a group of mostly European nations working to define security arrangements for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, which first invaded Ukraine in 2014 and launched a full-scale war in 2022.
Unlike earlier meetings, the Paris summit included senior U.S. representatives, among them Steve Witkoff, who has led talks with Moscow, Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the top U.S. military commander in Europe.
Their attendance was widely viewed by European officials as a signal of stronger U.S. engagement, even as Washington stopped short of formally endorsing all elements of the coalition’s final statement.
Speaking after the meeting, Witkoff said President Trump was firmly behind the emerging framework. The security measures, he said, are intended “to deter any further attacks in Ukraine” and, if deterrence fails, “to defend,” adding that the protocols were “as strong as anyone has ever seen.”
Kushner echoed that message, saying Ukraine would need firm assurances to finalize any agreement. “If Ukrainians are to make a final deal, they have to know that after a deal they are secure,” he said, pointing to the need for credible deterrence and reliable backstops.
In a joint statement, coalition leaders said allies would participate in a proposed U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism, should hostilities pause. Officials familiar with the discussions said the system would rely on drones, sensors, and satellite surveillance, rather than deploying U.S. troops on the ground.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, writing on Telegram after the summit, described the outcome as “a signal of how seriously Europe and the entire coalition of the willing are ready to work for real security.”
However, he cautioned that critical questions remain unresolved, including how monitoring would function in practice and how Ukraine’s military would be supported and financed over the long term.
Read Also: Russia – Ukraine Peace Deal Is 90% Ready, Ukraine Says
Zelenskiy also thanked Washington “for its readiness to be a backstop in all areas — security guarantees, monitoring a ceasefire and rebuilding,” adding that Ukrainian officials would continue negotiations on key issues on Wednesday.
Despite the strong rhetoric, the coalition’s final statement was not formally endorsed by the United States, and language outlining direct U.S. support for a multinational force in Ukraine was softened compared with earlier drafts, according to officials briefed on the talks.
Still, European leaders emphasized that the participation of U.S. envoys — and their public remarks — demonstrated that Washington remains engaged in shaping Ukraine’s post-war security architecture.
