European leaders on Thursday vowed to strengthen Kyiv’s army to ensure it was the cornerstone of future security in Ukraine.
This is as France and Britain tried to expand support for a planned foreign reassurance force in the event of a truce with Russia.
This is reportedly the third summit of what Britain and France have called the “coalition of the willing”, reflecting concern among Europeans that the US no longer represents a bulwark of support for Ukraine’s three-year-old fight against Russian invasion.
It was gathered that progress on what role Europe might play in providing peacetime security guarantees is proving difficult with the prospect of a ceasefire distant and much dependent on how Russia responds and to what extent the U.S. would support its allies.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said building up Ukraine’s armed forces through additional funding was an important part of the conversation.
A Franco-British military delegation will soon head to Ukraine to consider how its army could take shape in the long term.
While speaking with newsmen, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said a Ukrainian army of between 500,000 and 1 million would be a first line of defence in the event of a peace deal.
Zelenskyy told reporters he had been encouraged by the promises for now and after the war.
“It’s obvious that the strength and size of the Ukrainian army will always be a key guarantee of our security. So we need to build everything around that, our defence forces, their equipment, their technology, their effectiveness, this is the foundation,” he said.
According to the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who co-hosted with French President Emmanuel Macron, leaders had agreed that Ukraine needed more support to be in the strongest possible position for any peace process, without elaborating.
There were no specific announcements beyond France committing some 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in new aid, including warplanes and missiles.
