European leaders on Monday floated a European-led multinational force, backed by U.S. support, to help enforce a potential peace agreement in Ukraine, according to a joint statement.
The force would be part of "robust security guarantees" for Ukraine from the United States and European powers aimed at guaranteeing that Russia would not violate an agreement to end the war, according to the statement released as European leaders gathered with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin.
European leaders also said decisions on potential Ukrainian territorial concessions can only be made by the people of Ukraine and once robust security guarantees are in place.
Among the security guarantees agreed on Monday were a European-led force made up from contributions from willing nations that would assist "in securing Ukraine's skies, and in supporting safer seas, including through operating inside Ukraine," according to the statement.
The statement also outlined what it said were other points of agreement between a dozen European leaders and U.S. officials in talks over the outlines of a peace proposal.
Ukraine's military should continue receiving extensive support and maintain a peacetime strength of 800,000 troops, the statement said.
Peace would also be maintained by a "U.S.-led cease-fire monitoring and verification mechanism" that would identify violations and "provide early warning of any future attack", the statement said.
The statement was signed by the leaders of Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden, as well as the heads of the European Council and the European Commission.
