European leaders gathered in Paris on Thursday for a high-profile meeting of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” to discuss potential European troop deployments to Ukraine and the broader security framework for the war-torn country’s future. The meeting, hosted at the Élysée Palace by French President Emmanuel Macron, included representatives from more than 30 nations, among them Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
While the agenda included a range of security topics, the main focus was the question of whether European nations would be prepared to deploy troops to Ukraine after the war as part of potential security guarantees. Discussions were marked by significant divisions and a lack of clear commitment, despite Macron’s claim that as many as 26 countries had expressed willingness to participate in some form of deployment.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff briefly attended the meeting but left after approximately 20 minutes, a move interpreted by Ukrainian and European media as a sign of U.S. frustration with the process. Witkoff later returned when the leaders placed a call to U.S. President Donald Trump, who had been invited to attend but ultimately did not. Trump reportedly declined to commit U.S. support as a “backstop” for any European troop deployment, a position European leaders have been lobbying for since February.
The meeting, which lasted less than an hour, was described by insiders as largely unproductive, revealing ongoing disagreements among European countries regarding the scale, timing, and conditions under which troops could be deployed. Many European governments have tied any deployment to the establishment of a ceasefire agreement—an outcome Russia has rejected, insisting on a full peace deal instead. Moscow has repeatedly warned it would treat any foreign troops entering Ukraine as enemy combatants, raising the stakes for any potential European action.
With the war showing no signs of resolution, the Paris talks underscored the difficulty European leaders face in balancing their commitments to Ukraine’s defense with the risk of direct confrontation with Russia, especially amid uncertainty over U.S. involvement.