Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine has put forward a new format to the United States for protecting its skies.
"Ukraine has proposed a format for protecting our skies for the US to consider," Zelensky posted on X after talking with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, further adding that they spoke about ways of moving forward with real peace, reports Xinhua News Agency.
Zelensky's press office confirmed that the call with Trump followed a meeting in Paris of the "Coalition of the Willing" of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and a number of European leaders.
During a shared press conference following the gathering, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that 26 nations, predominantly in Europe, have officially committed to sending troops in support of a future Russian-Ukrainian ceasefire, but not explicitly on the battlefield. Macron defined the deployment as a "reassurance force" that could assist Ukraine from land, sea, or air.
Zelensky greeted the announcement as a "concrete" move forward and reinforced that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin—either bilateral or trilateral—is "necessary" for achieving peace.
On the recent US authorization to provide Ukraine with 3,350 air-delivered Extended-Range Attack Munitions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denounced the decision as being in contravention of Washington's declared commitment to resolving the conflict peacefully. She further stated that ongoing military assistance to Ukraine would extend its agony and pose the risk of further escalating the conflict.
Macron also repeated during the press conference that the member states would contribute to the reassurance force and assured that a call was made after the summit with US President Trump. The United States will complete its contribution to the security guarantees over the next few days.
Previously, Trump had suggested that US assistance could "probably" include air support, and Zelensky had spoken of talking with the US president about the objective of "maximum protection of the skies over Ukraine." After the 35 countries' meeting in the "Coalition of the Willing," Macron said that US promises are likely to be laid out in the near future.
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