Macron says 26 nations will provide postwar military backing to Ukraine
At least 26 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.
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.
Macron initially said the 26 nations – which he did not name – would deploy to Ukraine. But he later said some countries would provide guarantees while remaining outside Ukraine, for example by helping to train and equip Kyiv’s forces.
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.
French president Emmanuel Macron welcomes Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as he arrives for a summit of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’, at the Elysee Palace in Paris (Reuters)
Arpan Rai5 September 2025 04:20
What Donald Trump told European leaders
During his call with leaders of the so-called coalition of the willing, US president Donald Trump said Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that he said is helping Moscow fund its war against Ukraine, a White House official said.
“The president also emphasized that European leaders must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts,” the official said.
The official gave no details on the discussion around security guarantees, but Trump has previously expressed support for Ukraine without making a specific pledge.
Macron said the coalition and the US had agreed to work more closely on future sanctions, notably on Russia’s oil and gas sector, and on China.
Alex Ross5 September 2025 03:13
What European leaders say on security guarantees for Ukraine
Germany and other countries pledged they would be involved in that effort.
But Berlin said it would decide on a military commitment only when conditions were clear, including the extent of U.S. involvement in security guarantees.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made clear she would not send troops to Ukraine but said Italy was open to monitoring a ceasefire and training Ukrainian troops outside the country.
France and Britain, which co-chair the coalition of the willing, have indicated they are open to deploying troops to Ukraine after the war ends.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni (LaPresse)
Alex Ross5 September 2025 02:10
Polish national arrested on suspicion of espionage
Belarusian counter-intelligence agents have arrested a Polish national on suspicion of espionage for having in his possession documents related to forthcoming Belarusian-Russian military exercises, media quoted state television as reporting on Thursday.
The state Belta news agency said Belarus-1 television reported that agents from the state security service, still known by its Soviet-era abbreviation KGB, detained the man in the city of Lepel, east of the capital Minsk. A Belarusian national was also detained.
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko is one of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s closest allies and allowed Moscow to use his country’s territory for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though he has said Belarusian servicemen will take no part in it.
Belta said the Polish suspect had in his possession a copy of a document outlining the Zapad-25 exercises due to take place this month. He also had Belarusian and foreign cash and a portable telephone SIM-card registered to someone else.
“There is irrefutable evidence of the Polish citizen’s espionage activities,” Belta said. “A few minutes before his arrest, he received a secret military document. All of this was captured on video.”
Belarus and Poland have long had strained relations over a number of issues related to Lukashenko’s support for Russia in the Ukraine conflict and his crackdowns on dissent.
Alex Ross5 September 2025 01:06
Russian drones kill three in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, governor says
Russian drones killed three people and injured three late on Thursday in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, the regional governor said.
Oleh Syniehubov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the strike at about 9.30 p.m. killed two men and a woman in the village of Khotimlia, east of the regional centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.
Alex Ross5 September 2025 00:03
Ukraine commander seeks improved use of interceptor drones
Ukraine wants to see improved performance by interceptor drones to counter Russian aerial attacks more effectively, the country’s top commander said on Thursday.
Ukraine’s military has looked to interceptor drones in recent months as the most effective means of dealing with increasingly intense Russian drone assaults. The military also sees interceptors as cheaper and less wasteful than using more traditional means, such as air defence missile systems.
Top Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, writing on social media, said a meeting of senior officials on Thursday devoted to aid defences sought ways of building more effective systems against incoming drones.
“We are creating a layered system to counteract enemy Shahed and Geran drones,” he wrote, referring to the most commonly used Russian drones.
“Our shared task is to train more crews, more interceptor operators, and provide them with more effective weapons and radars … Following the meeting, tasks were set to eliminate shortcomings and strengthen work on interceptor drones.”
Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, left, speaks to a member of the 38th Separate Brigade in Pokrovsk (Telegram/Oleksandr Syrskyi )
Alex Ross4 September 2025 21:12
Recap: 26 countries pledge to deploy troops to Ukraine after fighting ends
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that 26 of Ukraine’s allies have pledged to deploy troops as a “reassurance force” for the war-torn country once fighting ends in the conflict with Russia.
Speaking after a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” in Paris, Mr Macron said the countries had committed to deploying troops in Ukraine – or to maintaining a presence on land, at sea, or in the air – to help guarantee the country’s security the day after a ceasefire or peace is achieved.
Mr Macron said at a news conference alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky Zelensky that the reassurance force “does not have the will or the objective of waging war against Russia”, but will aim “to prevent any new major aggression and to involve the 26 states very clearly in the lasting security of Ukraine”.
Although details of any US participation in the security guarantees remains unclear, both Mr Macron and Mr Zelensky said Washington had expressed willingness to be part of the plan, and the Ukrainian president said he was grateful about that.
“As for in what format, I am not yet ready to tell you in detail,” Mr Zelensky added.
“The planning work will be finalised with the United States,” Mr Macron said.
Alex Ross4 September 2025 20:16
Russia launched drone attack on Uraine overnight, Ukraine’s Air Force says
Russia fired 112 strike and decoy drones across the country overnight on Thursday, according to Ukraine’s Air Force morning report.
Air defences intercepted or jammed 84 drones, the statement said.
Alex Ross4 September 2025 19:17
Pictured: The coalition of the willing meets in Paris
(via REUTERS).jpeg)
(via REUTERS)
Daniel Keane4 September 2025 18:30
These Ukrainians refused to leave their homes. Now they have no choice
Residents of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region are facing devastating conditions as evacuations continue amid ongoing conflict.
Read our full story below.
Daniel Keane4 September 2025 18:00