A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Europe has finalized a strategy to guarantee peace and security in Ukraine once the war comes to an end.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The plan, which would include troops on the ground, was announced Thursday at a summit in Paris. It has yet to be guaranteed by the U.S., but already early this morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his reaction.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR's Eleanor Beardsley is in Paris. So, Eleanor, what did the Europeans announce?
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: Well, A, 35 countries got together physically here and by video link. Not only European - the group is known as the coalition of the willing - it includes Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Canada. And they say they are ready to commit to Ukraine's security and have concrete plans for it.
Here's French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke after the meeting, standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Let's listen.
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PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: He said, "we have 26 countries formally committed to deploying a reassurance force of troops in Ukraine to be physically present on land, air or sea to guarantee peace the day it is declared."
Now, Macron said he could not give any details, but he said they would be ready. And for anyone who thinks this is just more talk, Macron reminded everyone of how far this group has come. They first came together last February in despair, really, when it became very clear that the U.S., under President Trump, was going to be completely different on Ukraine than the Biden administration. Back then, Macron said only two countries were ready to commit troops.
MARTÍNEZ: What about the United States? Will it play a role in this coalition?
BEARDSLEY: Well, hopefully, yes. Macron and Zelenskyy also spoke with President Trump after the meeting. They said they spoke to him for an hour and a half, and they said the U.S. role would be determined in the coming days. Europeans definitely are counting on the U.S. to be there. Macron claimed the U.S. is fully on board, and special envoy Steve Witkoff was in Paris at the meeting. But clearly there are doubts how the U.S. will contribute or even if.
And I spoke with Martin Quencez, who is the director of the Paris Office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and he says it's hard to see a U.S. backstop providing major guarantees.
MARTIN QUENCEZ: Now, the backstop could be at least some sort of intelligence and logistical support. And there you could see the U.S. participating in providing capabilities that Europeans do not have without obviously sending any troops to Ukraine or officially guaranteeing the security of those European troops.
MARTÍNEZ: OK, but how has President Putin reacted to the announcement?
BEARDSLEY: Right. Well, President Putin has been in China over recent days joining huge celebrations on the end of World War II with allies China and North Korea. This is the new multipolar world on display that's against U.S. dominance. And this morning, Putin said that, quote, "any foreign troops in Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russian forces." It's not surprising, and it's why Macron said that the main pillar of Ukraine's post-war security is actually a strong Ukrainian army. He said they will not accept any restrictions on the size and shape of Ukraine's forces in the future.
MARTÍNEZ: So, what if Vladimir Putin, Eleanor, just does not agree to a peace deal?
BEARDSLEY: Exactly, A. And that's what we've been seeing. And Macron admitted that Putin thinks he's winning so he doesn't want to stop the war, but he emphasized that Russia has suffered more than 1 million casualties for barely 20% of Ukrainian territory. And Macron said there will be new economic sanctions in coordination with the U.S. if Russia continues to refuse to end its war. And President Trump also spoke about that. He didn't mention sanctions, but he said that the Europeans need to stop buying any Russian oil.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR's Eleanor Beardsley in Paris. Thank you.
BEARDSLEY: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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