After the largest meeting yet of the so-called Coalition of the Willing in Paris, European leaders and U.S. representatives expressed optimism about progress, even as tensions simmered recently over the assertive foreign policy approach of President Donald Trump in the Western hemisphere.

The security assurances for Ukraine would only be activated once a ceasefire is established to conclude the nearly four-year conflict initiated by Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The true intentions of Russian leader Vladimir Putin remain ambiguous.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the “robust” guarantees would involve the United States spearheading a mechanism for monitoring the truce, with support from European allies. This meeting brought together representatives from 35 countries, including 27 leaders.

A declaration of intent was signed by Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, indicating plans for Britain, France, and other European partners to send troops into Ukraine following a ceasefire agreement.

Additionally, the allies agreed to set up a coordination cell for the U.S., Ukraine, and the Coalition in Paris.

However, a commitment in the draft statement that the U.S. would “support” the multinational force led by Europe “in the event of a new Russian attack” was absent from the final communiqué issued on Tuesday evening.

Macron mentioned that France could deploy “several thousand” troops to Ukraine after the conflict.

He described the outcomes as representing “strong security guarantees for a stable and enduring peace,” noting an “operational convergence” among allies, including the United States.

Macron emphasized that the security guarantees are “essential to ensure that a peace agreement will never entail Ukrainian capitulation and that peace will not bring a renewed threat to Ukraine” from Russia.

In the context of rising tensions between Europe and the U.S. regarding Greenland and Venezuela, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who participated in the Paris discussions, stated that “significant progress” had been achieved.

He noted that allies had “largely completed” the agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine “so that the Ukrainian people can be assured that this conflict, once resolved, will remain resolved.”

Witkoff indicated that “land options” would pose the most “critical issue,” expressing hope that compromises could be reached.

Trump is quoted as saying, “this carnage must cease,” according to Witkoff.

Kushner added, “This doesn’t ensure peace, but achieving peace would be impossible without the advancements made today.”

Zelensky expressed his approval of the results.

“These words carry weight. There is tangible content: a joint declaration from all coalition nations and a trilateral statement from France, Britain, and Ukraine,” Zelensky remarked.

Echoing Witkoff’s assessment, he pointed out that the primary issue still pending resolution was “the territorial question,” alluding to Russian demands for Kyiv to surrender the eastern Donbas region.

Russia occupies approximately 20% of Ukraine and has consistently opposed any NATO presence on the ground in Ukraine to oversee a cessation of hostilities.

Starmer stated that after a ceasefire, both the U.K. and France would create “military hubs” throughout Ukraine and “develop secure facilities for weapons and military equipment to meet Ukraine’s defensive needs.”

He cautioned, “We can only achieve a peace agreement if Putin is inclined to make compromises. So we must be honest; despite Russia’s statements, Putin is not demonstrating readiness for peace. The developments over the past few weeks have shown the opposite,” he explained.

“This only strengthens our determination,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, top diplomats from the G7 nations, during a phone conversation, “recognized progress on security guarantees for Ukraine,” a spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry reported.

There has been no recent reduction in hostilities in what has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose country has been hesitant to deploy troops to a multinational force, noted that German forces could join to oversee a ceasefire, albeit based outside Ukraine.

“We will certainly have to reach compromises,” he stated in Paris, adding, “we will not achieve textbook diplomatic solutions.”

The U.S. forces’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, an ally of Putin, along with Trump’s assertions that the self-governing Danish territory of Greenland should be part of the U.S., had alarmed several European nations prior to the meeting.

Macron remarked to French television, “I cannot visualize a scenario where the United States would find itself in a position to infringe upon Danish sovereignty.”