French President Emmanuel Macron made a series of assertive statements during his address to the French armed forces at the Istres air base near Marseille, touching on Ukraine, the “coalition of the willing,” and France’s military role in Greenland.
Ukraine and the Coalition of the Willing
Macron stated that France and its partners have already laid the groundwork for post-war security guarantees for Ukraine.
We have built real, credible security assurances for the day after peace: monitoring the ceasefire line, restoring the Ukrainian army, deterrence forces, and second-level security guarantees for all participants. For the first time in our history, we have done this by creating an integrated Franco-British command, with the involvement of our American partners, Macron said, as quoted by Ukrinform.
He also emphasized that, due to French assistance, Ukraine has significantly reduced its dependence on U.S. intelligence support. According to Macron, France currently provides two-thirds of Ukraine’s intelligence capabilities.
The president’s overall tone was notably resolute:
To remain free, we must be feared. To be feared, we must be powerful. And to be powerful in this brutal world, we must act faster and act stronger.
Following another meeting of the “coalition of the willing” held in Paris on January 6, 2026, Ukraine, France, and the United Kingdom signed a declaration of intent to deploy a multinational contingent in the event of an armistice. This marked the first formal documentation of political readiness by partner states to deploy forces on Ukrainian territory after the end of the war.
Macron further stressed that European states must accelerate the development of new weapons systems capable of altering the balance of power in the short term. France, he said, will work closely with Germany and the United Kingdom to advance capabilities for extreme-range strikes, framing this effort within the logic of nuclear deterrence, including responses to Russia’s “Oreshnik” missile launch.
France and Greenland
Macron also announced the deployment of additional French forces to Greenland. The first contingent has already arrived. France has joined military exercises initiated by Denmark, while other allied countries — including Germany, Norway, and Sweden — have also begun deploying units to the island.
Conclusion
Amid rising tensions around Greenland, Emmanuel Macron has underscored France’s expanding military role in Europe, both through leadership within the “coalition of the willing” and through increased presence in the Arctic. As the head of the country with one of Europe’s strongest armed forces, he has articulated the need for greater decisiveness and leadership. However, while the deployment of forces to Greenland is already underway, the presence of European troops in Ukraine remains, for now, at the level of political discussion rather than implementation.
