International Press Reviews dated 25 August – 5 September 2025
- Anton Kuchuhidze
- Sep 4
- 6 min read
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, it has become clear that the only true guarantee of security for Ukraine is not words, but concrete military assistance from friends and partners. European leaders are gradually realizing this and are forming a new approach — the so-called "coalition of the willing." That is why, in recent weeks, Western media have focused particularly on the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine and the results of the summit of this coalition, which unites countries ready to support Kyiv.
An article in Le Monde emphasizes that the real key to deterring russia could be the deployment of international forces before, not after, a ceasefire is concluded. Only a timely and decisive presence of Western troops in the zone of potential escalation can force the kremlin to reconsider its aggressive intentions and agree to negotiations it would otherwise try to avoid.
However, implementing such an approach requires not only technical preparation but also political will, courage, and readiness to take risks on the part of European states. If political resolve remains at the level of declarations, European allies should at least ensure stable and predictable military and financial support that would allow Ukraine to hold out until that moment. Time can play in Ukraine’s favor — provided systemic external support continues.
As Foreign Policy notes, the only realistic way to ensure Ukraine’s security is to strengthen military assistance, expand sanctions against russia and its partners, and take decisive political steps, including transferring frozen russian assets to Kyiv’s benefit. Promises without commitments and force do not stop the aggressor. Effectiveness is what truly matters.
Meanwhile, according to Reuters, after the allies’ summit in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the readiness of 26 countries to join international forces that will form the basis of future security guarantees in the event of a peace agreement with russia. This involves the deployment of military contingents on land, at sea, and in the air. The main focus will be on restoring and strengthening the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to which Germany and other partners are already ready to contribute.
During a phone call with coalition leaders, U.S. President Donald Trump urged European countries to stop purchasing russian oil and to increase economic pressure on China, which he believes indirectly supports russia’s war machine. Agreements were also reached to deepen transatlantic cooperation in the sanctions sphere, with particular attention to the energy sectors of russia and China.
Supporting Ukraine remains a key factor not only for the security of our country but also for the stability of all Europe. Without clear, consistent, and decisive assistance, the risks of new escalation will not disappear, and peace in the region will remain unattainable. Only the united efforts of partners can give Ukraine a chance for a safe and stable future.
Instead of debating such dead ends, Ukraine’s partners should immediately move to provide a robust assistance package, coupled with firm commitments to Ukraine’s political integration in the West. Weapons need to be provided at an even larger scale — to be mass-produced in Western countries as well as in Western-financed factories inside Ukraine. Ensuring uninterrupted supply on a strict timeline is vital. The buildup of a European military-industrial complex needs to take place alongside Ukraine’s admission to the European Union as a full member on an accelerated (though still merit-based) schedule.
Mr. Putin sought control of all Ukraine and discovered it wasn’t available for a price he can pay. If the U.S. and its allies remain on their path of least resistance—supplying arms and intelligence to keep Ukraine in the fight—he’s stuck in a war he can’t win and can’t get out of.
The U.S. has its own coldhearted interests: to stop the fighting and eliminate the fat-tail risk, lock in Russia’s strategic defeat, and reap the benefits in dealings with China and other troublemakers. Mr. Trump personally also wants a Nobel Peace Prize.
Therefore Anchorage came off the way it did because it was a meeting of two heads of state who needed to flatter each other because they want something from each other that they can’t quite put a frame around.
The Journal reported last month that for months the Pentagon has quietly stopped Ukraine from using American ballistic missiles and British cruise missiles to strike targets inside Russia—a move that effectively reinstated a policy during much of the Biden administration.
It’s unclear if Mr. Trump approved this policy, but the Pentagon has caught the White House off guard before, as when it suspended critical arms deliveries to Kyiv in July. Mr. Trump eventually made sure those deliveries did get to Ukraine. He should similarly overrule the Pentagon’s policy on Ukrainian missiles. As the president has noted, it’s “very hard” for Ukraine to defeat Russia’s unprovoked invasion if Kyiv isn’t allowed to punch back. By untying Kyiv’s hands, Mr. Trump can help force Moscow to the negotiating table.
It must be acknowledged that only a robust military arrangement might deter Russia from using a potential truce as a springboard for a new – and likely final – offensive. For months, this hypothesis has been the subject of intense discussions among Europeans, who have been forced to confront their responsibilities by a disillusioned America, under the label "coalition of the willing." This coalition is structured around four pillars: ongoing, on-the-ground support for the Ukrainian army; the defense of part of Ukrainian airspace (potentially from neighboring countries); the protection of maritime routes to Ukrainian Black Sea ports (with support from Turkey, a coalition member); and a "land demonstration" involving several mobile brigades capable of moving forward in the event of a breach along the front – which stretches over 1,000 kilometers and is currently held by the Ukrainian army.
France and Germany will provide more air defense hardware for Ukraine after "massive" Russian airstrikes in recent days, the key EU members said in a joint statement on Friday, August 29. "France and Germany will provide additional air defense to Ukraine," they said, after President Emmanuel Macron hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for a visit to the south of France. "Despite intensive international diplomatic efforts, Russia shows no intention to end its war of aggression against Ukraine," they added.
The aim of any security guarantee for Ukraine should be to provide it with security—in other words, to keep it safe from Russian invasions going forward. A piece of paper saying “guarantee” will not do; that has already been tried and failed. Russia, the United States, and Britain did not honor their guarantee of Ukraine’s borders, which was signed in Budapest in 1994. Russia’s invasions of Ukraine since 2014 also violated multiple other agreements signed by Moscow.
It is hard to imagine how any form of protection for Ukraine would not entail the presence of a large body of troops on the ground. The Europeans have been referring to this theoretical entity as a “reassurance force,” a term with a distinctly Orwellian ring. Are we talking about a military operation or a therapy session?
Europe is drawing up "pretty precise plans" for a multinational troop deployment to Ukraine as part of post-conflict security guarantees that will have the backing of U.S. capabilities, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times in an interview published Sunday.
“President Trump reassured us that there will be (an) American presence as part of the backstop,” von der Leyen told the FT, adding that “That was very clear and repeatedly affirmed.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Saturday he expected that Russia would only stop its war against Ukraine once it could no longer wage it for economic and military reasons, given that diplomatic efforts in recent weeks had failed.
"All efforts of the past weeks have been answered with an even more aggressive approach by this regime in Moscow against the population in Ukraine," Merz said at a regional event of his conservatives in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Twenty-six nations have pledged to provide postwar security guarantees to Ukraine, which will include an international force on land and sea and in the air, French President Emmanuel Macron said after a summit meeting of Kyiv's allies on Thursday.
Macron said he, fellow European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held a call with U.S. President Donald Trump after their summit and U.S. contributions to the guarantees would be finalised in the coming days.
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