A 'coalition of the willing' is mulling a European army which would be deployed to Ukraine in a 'peacekeeping' capacity, except that French President Emmanuel Macron has also admitted these Western forces would be ready to join the conflict if provoked.

Macron is currently hosting the leaders of nearly 30 countries plus NATO and European Union chiefs at a Paris summit - where as we described earlier they are pushing back on US-backed peace plans by ruling out sanctions relief for Russia.

Most importantly, Macron said Wednesday that a proposed European armed force to enforce a future Ukraine peace deal could "respond" to a Russian attack if Moscow launched one.

"If there was again a generalized aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would be under attack and then it’s our usual framework of engagement," Macron said.

"Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it," the French leader explained.

Of course, this is precisely why the Kremlin has rejected any plan which calls for NATO country forces to be present in Ukraine. President Putin sent his army into Ukraine in February 2022 as in large part a reaction to constant NATO expansion to Russia's doorstep.

France and the United Kingdom are leading the way in putting together what they've dubbed a "reassurance force" for Ukraine.

The forces would have the "character of deterrence against any potential Russian aggression," Macron said further - which comes dangerously close to simply saying he wants to send NATO troops into the conflict to fight Moscow forces.

More billions have also been committed: "Macron committed to a further 2 billion euros ($2.16bn) in French military support on Wednesday, including missiles, warplanes and air defense equipment. Zelenskyy said other partners could announce aid packages on Thursday," international outlets have reported.

Meanwhile, Moon of Alabama has highlighted the latest flip-flopping from NATO's top leadership on the question of peace, and eventual restoration of positive relations with Russia:

NATO Chief Says Russia Relations Should Be Restored Post War - Bloomberg, Mar 14 2025

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said relations with Russia should eventually be normalized once the fighting ends in Ukraine, while stressing the need to keep pressure on Moscow to ensure progress in ceasefire negotiations.

“It’s normal if the war would have stopped for Europe somehow, step by step, and also for the US, step by step, to restore normal relations with Russia,” Rutte said in an interview on Bloomberg TV Friday.

Just twelve days later ...

'This is not the time to go it alone,' NATO's Rutte tells U.S. and Europe - Reuters, Mar 26, 2025

While welcoming Trump's push for peace in Ukraine, Rutte said there would be no normalisation of relations with Russia once the war had ended.

"This will take decades because there is a total lack of confidence. The threat is still there," he told reporters.

Given all of this, the prospect of peace doesn't actually seem close, despite the continued optimistic statements coming from the White House. President Trump has aimed to achieve peace within the some first one hundred days of his presidency, but that's looking increasingly unrealistic at this point.