France has rejected Russia’s demand to impose size limits on the Ukrainian army, with French President Emmanuel Macron asserting that Ukraine’s military must be robust enough to repel any potential threats. Macron emphasized that European countries should take the lead in providing security guarantees and equipping Ukraine’s forces. This decision directly contradicts Russia’s stance that any peace agreement must include Ukraine’s neutrality and legally binding restrictions on its military size.
Macron’s comments were made after a meeting in Washington, where he joined with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, several European leaders, and US President Donald Trump. In a statement, Macron claimed, "The first security guarantee is a robust Ukrainian army capable of repelling any attempted attack," according to the French newspaper, Le Figaro. He further emphasized that Ukraine’s army should be allowed to expand to "several hundred thousand men" without any limitations or restrictions.
Ukraine has been struggling to replenish its military forces amid the ongoing conflict, as Russia continues to advance. The country’s leaders have long sought to secure similar guarantees as NATO’s collective defense, which has been rejected by the United States. Trump claimed on Monday that Putin had agreed to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, though he provided no details on the specifics of this arrangement.
Russia has consistently opposed the presence of any Western troops in Ukraine, even under the guise of peacekeepers. Moscow insists that Ukraine must abandon its plans to join NATO and has also warned that a potential ceasefire could be used by Ukraine to regroup and rearm.