Macron: Multinational Force for Ukraine Ready for Deployment

Macron also emphasized the strategic importance of the engagement: "Die Unterstützung der Ukraine ist eine Investition in unsere eigene Sicherheit." At the same time, he warned with regard to Russia: "Und diejenigen, die glauben, dass dieser Krieg an den ukrainischen Grenzen haltmachen wird, wenn wir nachgeben oder Mittel suchen, um dem Aggressor entgegenzukommen, irren sich." With this reasoning, the French head of state advocated for decisive action by the European allies.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz underscored Germany's readiness to participate in the planned measures. "Den Beitrag, den wir leisten können, dass ein Waffenstillstand erreicht werden kann, dass der Krieg so schnell wie möglich endet, den werden wir gerne liefern, weil es geht darum, dass das Sterben beendet wird," said the Chancellor. In doing so, Merz expressly linked the military planning to the goal of ending the fighting.

Merz: Contribution to Ending the Dying

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker stated before the start of the meeting that the goal is "darum, dass die Ukraine in eine Position der Stärke" for possible negotiations with Russia. Following the recent NATO summit in Ankara, Stocker noted that "Bewegung in die Sache" is coming and "das Momentum bei der Ukraine vielleicht dazu genutzt werden kann, dass wir tatsächlich zu einer Friedenslösung kommen."

Maneuvers Planned in Neighboring States

The Coalition of the Willing, in which more than 35 countries have joined forces, is planning joint maneuvers in Ukraine's neighboring states in the coming months. The goal of these exercises is to test the deployment plans of the multinational force and to demonstrate deterrence toward Russia. Stocker said on this: "Ich glaube, dass es über Symbolik hinausgeht, wenn sich 19 Staats- und Regierungschefs treffen, um die Unterstützung für die Ukraine nicht nur zu zeigen und symbolisieren, sondern sich darüber unterhalten, in welcher Weise man einen Beitrag leisten kann."

In addition to the political commitments, Austria is also represented by a delegation of the Bundesheer. According to the information, the Austrian delegation consists of 23 guardsmen. Austria is thus participating at least symbolically in the exercises, even though the country itself is not a member of the Coalition of the Willing in the narrower sense.

Goals: Pressure on Russia and Strengthening Ukraine

According to the participants, the maneuvers are to begin in the coming months and take place regularly. Operations on land, in the air, and at sea will be practiced. This is intended not only to test the military responsiveness of the force, but also to send a signal to the Ukrainian population and to Russia that the European states are prepared to support Ukraine in the long term.

Overall, the Coalition of the Willing is pursuing two goals with its plans: On the one hand, pressure on Russia is to be maintained while at the same time Ukraine is to be brought into a stronger position for possible negotiations. On the other hand, the aim is to build credible deterrence in case Russia expands the fighting. The coming weeks will show what concrete contributions the individual countries will pledge to the planned maneuvers.

Next Steps After the Paris Meeting

According to the words of the participants, the meeting in Paris marks a turning point in the coordination of European Ukraine policy. For the first time, according to the available information, so many heads of state and government have directly coordinated on operational contributions to the multinational force. The Coalition of the Willing is thus going beyond previous declarations of intent and is preparing concrete military steps.

Macron announced that the results of the Paris consultations will feed into the further planning of the coalition. This also includes considerations regarding possible security guarantees for Ukraine after a ceasefire. It remains open to what extent individual member states would participate in a future deployment of troops on Ukrainian soil.