Britain and France propose 37-nation 'Coalition of the Willing' for Ukraine – Bloomberg
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Photo: EPA/UPG
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are in talks with 37 countries to create a "coalition of the willing" in Ukraine if a peaceful settlement is reached.
Bloomberg reports this.
The report indicates that Britain and France are working to bolster Ukraine's negotiating position, while US President Donald Trump aims to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The two European nuclear powers are developing a plan to help ensure Kyiv's security.
The "coalition of the willing" can be joined by countries of:
- Europe,
- Commonwealth of Nations,
- Asia.
Bloomberg writes that these countries will provide funding, troops, aircraft, or naval vessels to help protect Ukraine from further Russian aggression.
At a separate meeting in Paris on Tuesday, non-NATO countries including Australia, Japan and New Zealand joined the talks with military chiefs from dozens of European countries and Canada, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed sources.
Each country was asked what it was prepared to provide to the coalition. Those that ruled out sending troops to Ukraine were asked whether they would agree to station ground troops in neighboring European countries and what other contributions they could make, including sending minesweepers, ships, planes, tanks, and intelligence.
Bloomberg said military chiefs will present Starmer and Macron with more detailed options for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine in the coming days. They will then discuss those options with leaders of other countries during a virtual phone call this weekend.
The plans will then be presented to Trump, who is expected to be persuaded to provide US security guarantees through air power, intelligence, and border surveillance without providing US troops for peacekeeping.
The report says that Britain and France also do not want the US to give in to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's demands to demilitarize Ukraine and force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to hold elections before a permanent peace deal is agreed. On Wednesday, Starmer said that Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children should also be considered within negotiations.
For reference:
On March 2, international leaders met in the British capital, London. More than 10 states' leaders, as well as the leadership of the EU and NATO, attended.
The main topics of the summit were the following:
- Strengthening Ukraine's position now – including continued military support and increased economic pressure on Russia;
- The need for a strong, lasting agreement that will ensure lasting peace in Ukraine and ensure that Ukraine can deter and defend itself against future attacks from Russia;
- Next steps in planning for reliable security guarantees.
After the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that Ukraine would receive 1.6 billion pounds sterling (about 2 billion US dollars) to purchase more than 5,000 air defense missiles.
Starmer also said that Britain was taking essential steps to help Ukraine. These included sending a military contingent to Ukraine and creating a "coalition of the willing" to secure any peace agreement in Ukraine. The United Kingdom would play a leading role in it.
Moreover, before the summit, the British Prime Minister stated that the UK and France would work with Ukraine on a peace plan, which would then be presented to Washington for consideration.
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