WESTERN ALLIES UNITE: Macron Hails ‘Significant Step’ Towards Ending Russia’s Bloody Invasion of Ukraine as NATO Agrees to Deploy Troops
- NATO leaders agree to provide Ukraine with multi-layered defence guarantees, including potential troop deployment
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hails agreement as ‘signal of how seriously Europe is ready to work for real security’
- Russia yet to indicate whether it will tolerate security guarantees for its neighbour, as Moscow continues to wreak havoc on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure
- UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warns ‘hardest yards are still ahead’ as Russian attacks on Ukraine continue unabated
In a dramatic development, Western allies have united to provide Ukraine with a robust defence guarantee, including the potential deployment of troops, in a bid to end Russia’s brutal invasion. The agreement, hailed as a ‘significant step’ by French President Emmanuel Macron, was reached at a high-stakes meeting in Paris, attended by leaders from the EU, US, Canada, and NATO.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been leading the charge against Russian aggression, welcomed the agreement, saying it was a ‘signal of how seriously Europe and the entire coalition of the willing are ready to work for real security’. However, he cautioned that the monitoring and financing of the Ukrainian army still needed to be determined.
The agreement comes as Russia continues to pound Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with drone strikes, bringing the conflict ‘into the new year’, according to Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader thanked the US for its readiness to provide security guarantees, monitoring, and rebuilding, saying it was a ‘backstop in all areas’.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who attended the meeting, warned that ‘the hardest yards are still ahead’, noting that Russian attacks on Ukraine continue unabated. He said allies would participate in US-led monitoring and verification of any ceasefire, support the long-term provision of armaments for Ukraine’s defence, and work towards making their commitment to support Ukraine in the case of any future attack by Russia legally binding.
Russia, however, has remained tight-lipped about the agreement, with no immediate comment from officials in Moscow. The Kremlin has previously insisted that there can be no ceasefire until a comprehensive settlement is agreed, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled out agreeing to any deployment of troops from NATO countries on Ukrainian soil.
The agreement marks a significant shift in the West’s approach to the conflict, with NATO leaders agreeing to provide Ukraine with a multi-layered defence guarantee, including equipment, training, and air, land, and sea support. The size and nature of the deployment are yet to be decided, and the commitment will need to be ratified by each nation to come into force.
In a separate development, Ukraine’s Security Service carried out drone strikes on a military arsenal and an oil depot deep inside Russia, according to a security official. The long-range drones hit the arsenal in Russia’s Kostroma region, triggering explosions that lasted for hours and forced the evacuation of nearby settlements.
The site was described as a key logistics hub supplying ammunition in western and central Russia. In a separate strike, SBU drones hit an oil depot in Russia’s Lipetsk region, causing a huge fire, the official said.