Macron says proposed European force for Ukraine could ’respond’ if attacked by Russia

French President Macron proposes European armed force for Ukraine to respond to potential Russian aggression, aiming for lasting peace.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday (March 26, 2025) that a proposed European armed force for possible deployment in Ukraine in tandem with an eventual peace deal could “respond” to a Russian attack if Moscow launched one.

Mr. Macron spoke after talks with Ukraine’s President and ahead of a summit in Paris of some 30 nations on Thursday (March 27, 2025) that will discuss the proposed force for Ukraine that he suggested could be deployed in “important towns” and elsewhere.

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“If there was again a generalized aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would, in fact, be under attack and then it’s our usual framework of engagement,” Mr. Macron said. “Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it.”

Mr. Macron, together with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has been driving an effort to build a coalition of nations willing in one way or another to support the deployment of an armed force in Ukraine, with the aim of securing a lasting peace by dissuading Russia from attacking the country again.

Mr. Macron didn’t specify what sort of response he envisaged in the eventuality of a Russian attack.

He said the proposed European forces wouldn't be stationed on the frontlines in Ukraine, “nor be engaged on the first day opposite Russian forces.” They would “be forces that dissuade the Russians from attacking again. And by holding important towns, strategic bases, mark the clear support from several European governments and allies,” he said.