ISTANBUL

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said the EU along with the US would impose further sanctions on Russia if it continues to refuse "concrete" peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.

"If Russia continues to refuse concrete peace talks ... we will impose additional sanctions together with the United States and provide clear responses to this refusal to move forward," Macron said after a "coalition of the willing" meeting in Paris followed by a phone call with US President Donald Trump.

He said the coalition of the willing states have also decided to coordinate their actions on primary and secondary sanctions against Russia, meaning direct sanctions on the Russian economy, along with secondary sanctions on countries that support the Russian economy or help to circumvent sanctions.

As many as "26 countries have committed to deploying, as a reassurance force, troops in Ukraine or to being present on land, at sea, or in the air, to provide this reassurance to Ukrainian territory and to Ukraine itself, the day after a ceasefire or peace agreement," Macron said.

He clarified that the force will not wage any wars against Russia but rather guarantee peace under the ceasefire.

"It will be deployed within the framework of a ceasefire, not on the front line but in areas currently being defined. Its aim is to prevent any new major aggression and to clearly involve the 26 states in Ukraine’s long-term security," Macron explained.

Reiterating the need for "strong security guarantees" to Ukraine, he voiced their readiness to commit politically and militarily.

"In the next few days, we are finalizing American support. But it has now become clear that all members of the coalition — European volunteers, but also Asian, Pacific, and Canadian members — have taken on their responsibilities," Macron added.

He said the first pillar of the security guarantees is providing the means for regeneration of the Ukrainian army and reiterated the need for accelerating the production, particularly drones, on Ukrainian soil.

"Now, the next steps are simple. There will be renewed contacts between Americans and Russians. And we all share a clear determination: that the meetings which were agreed upon, and to which the Russians committed several weeks ago, must become a reality — the physical bilateral summit between the two presidents, as well as the trilateral and quadrilateral summits that we are once again calling for," Macron said.

US-led efforts to end the war in Ukraine have continued since the start of Trump's second term in January. He has held talks with the leaders of Moscow, Kyiv, as well as the EU, but sticking points for a potential deal include security guarantees for Ukraine and land swaps.

While Russia, which wants limits on Ukrainian military and a non-allied status for Ukraine, has refused NATO troops on Ukrainian soil; Kyiv says it will not cede any territories for peace.  

Need for unity to confront Russia

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba also attended the virtual meeting, and said “it is extremely important for the United States, Ukraine, and other countries to be united in confronting Russia.”

"It is regrettable that Russia continues to engage in actions contrary to peace," in Ukraine, emphasizing that the “security of Europe and East Asia are inseparable," said Ishiba, according to a statement from Japanese Foreign Ministry.

He said Tokyo "would continue to support the recovery and reconstruction in Ukraine through a public-private partnership to ensure its social and economic resilience." Japan, he added, aims to move closer to "achieving the two goals of an early ceasefire and a just and lasting peace."