PARIS, March 27 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a range of initiatives to support Ukraine at a summit in Paris on Thursday, amid growing uncertainty over continued U.S. assistance.

At a press conference following the summit of the "coalition of the willing," Macron announced a joint Franco-British plan to send a team to Ukraine to help shape the future structure of the Ukrainian army. Macron said that he and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would "jointly lead" the coordination efforts of Ukraine's international coalition of allies.

He also raised the idea of deploying "reassurance forces" from a few willing European Union member states to strategic locations in Ukraine should a peace agreement be reached with Russia, saying the potential deployment would serve as a deterrent and form part of long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. However, "There is no consensus on this point," Macron acknowledged.

He underscored the importance of continued American support for any potential European deployment but said Europe must prepare for a scenario in which the United States is no longer involved.

Following the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer revealed that British Defence Secretary John Healey will chair the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on April 11, where efforts will focus on coordinating additional military aid to support Ukraine's defense.

According to a statement from Downing Street, the coalition also intends to intensify economic pressure on Russia, in a bid to advance progress toward peace in Ukraine.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called on the coalition to accelerate the delivery of military support to Ukraine. "Europe must act now. Let's act urgently."

On Wednesday, Macron announced France will provide an additional 2 billion euros (2.2 billion U.S. dollars) in aid for Ukraine. Enditem

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