Macron states Ukraine’s army must not face size boundaries
(MENAFN) French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that any peace settlement with Russia should not impose limits on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces, directly rejecting Moscow’s conditions.
Earlier this year, Russia reiterated that a settlement must include Ukraine’s neutrality and legally binding restrictions on its military strength—demands Kyiv dismissed as unacceptable.
Macron made his comments in Washington on Monday after talks involving US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, and several European leaders. He stressed that Europe must take the lead in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security and providing it with military support.
“The first security guarantee is a strong Ukrainian army capable of deterring any attack,” Macron told reporters, adding that the force should number “several hundred thousand men” with “no restrictions” on its size, according to Le Figaro.
Ukraine has faced difficulties replenishing its ranks amid ongoing mobilization while Russia continues to gain ground. Kyiv has long urged Western partners to offer NATO-style security guarantees as an alternative to membership in the alliance, which Washington has rejected.
Trump noted Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to some form of security guarantees for Ukraine, though he did not provide details. The announcement followed Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska last Friday, which both sides described as a constructive step toward peace.
Moscow, however, has repeatedly opposed any foreign troop presence in Ukraine—even under the pretext of peacekeeping—and has insisted that Kyiv must abandon its NATO ambitions. Putin has also warned that a ceasefire could be used by Ukraine to regroup and rearm.
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