New Delhi, Sept. 5 -- French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that 26 of Ukraine's allies have pledged to deploy troops as a "reassurance force" for the war-torn country once fighting ends in the conflict with Russia.

Macron spoke after a meeting in Paris of the so-called "coalition of the willing," a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine. He said that 26 of the countries had committed to deploying troops in Ukraine - or to maintaining a presence on land, at sea, or in the air - to help guarantee the country's security the day after a ceasefire or peace is achieved.

Earlier Thursday, Macron and other European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the U.S. envoy for peace talks, Steve Witkoff, to discuss...