26 countries vow to give Kyiv postwar 'security guarantees'

Twenty-six nations have pledged to provide postwar security guarantees to Ukraine, which will include an international force on land and sea and in the air, French President Emmanuel Macron said after a summit meeting of Kyiv's allies on Thursday.

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Macron said he, fellow European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a call with US President Donald Trump after their summit and US contributions to the guarantees would be finalised in the coming days.

The meeting of 35 leaders from the "coalition of the willing" - of mainly European countries - was intended to finalise security guarantees and ask Trump for the backing that Europeans say is vital to make such guarantees viable.

Security guarantees are intended to reassure Ukraine and deter Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, from attacking its neighbour again.

"The day the conflict stops, the security guarantees will be deployed," Macron told a press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, standing alongside Zelensky.

European officials say peace looks a distant prospect for now but they want to be ready whenever the war ends. They also see the planning of security guarantees as a way to reassure Kyiv of their support and hope Trump will join their efforts.