Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Keir Starmer (pictured L-R), Friedrich Merz and Donald Tusk(not pictured) at joint press conference. 10 May 2025, Mariinskyi Palace, Kyiv
↑See infobox bottom the Coalition's Members cabinets formed for timeline of changes since 11 November 2024
↑Mission is expected to provide logistical and training experts to help reconstitute AFU. The post-war plan will aim to regenerate Ukraine's land forces, provide air policing in coordination with Ukraine Air Force, and expand Black Sea Task Force naval mine-clearing to restore maritime access.[8] For details see infobox bottom MNF–U mission
↑Coordination headquarters, set upon MNF–U deployment, headed by a UK 2-stargeneral officer.[7] HQs are on 12-months rotation.[10][11]
↑As of November2025[update] participation is not disclosed. List is based on a country's cabinet-level representation in at least three high-level meetings of the coalition (see §)
↑Starmer publicly announced Japan had joined the Coalition of the Willing on 15 March 2025, however Japan has not joined a high-level coalition meeting until 13 August, when Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan joined 7th CoW meeting (leaders) by video conference.[14][15][16] He also attended next two virtual meetings.[17][18]
↑US representatives took part in the July 10 (2 US Congressmen and the President's special envoy for Ukraine, PSEU), the 13 August (US vice-president and PSEU) summit meetings, the 20 August military planners consultations. Immideately after the 4 September summit, participants held a call with US president Donald Trump.[19][20][8][12]
↑Chaired by the UK, in situ with Emmanuel Macron, president of France (while in the UK on a state visit, first after Brexit). Other nations leaders as well as U.S. senators Lindsey Graham (Rep.) and Richard Blumenthal (Dem.), retired Lt.Gen. Keith Kellogg, U.S. president’s special envoy for Ukraine, attended on-line.[19]
↑Chaired by Emmanuel Macron, president of the French Republic, in Elysee Palace (in situ with president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mette Frederiksen, prime minister of Denmark, António Costa, president of the European Council, Bart De Wever, Belgian prime minister, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, Donald Tusk, Polish prime minister, Alexander Stubb, president of Finland, Dick Schoof, Dutch prime minister), and co-chaired by UK prime minister Keir Starmer virtually, with other participants also joined on-line. The online call, after the summit, was held with US president Donald Trump.[28][29][30]
↑Both leaders of EC and EUCO, co-founding institutions of the coalition, were represented in person for the first time.[31]
↑As of November2025[update], each of the bullet points below is a CoW country's government cabinet formed since Trump victory in 2024 US Presidential election after opponent concession on 6 November.
↑Coordinating HQ, to be set upon force deployment.[to be determined]
The coalition of the willing is a coalition of 35 countries,[36][37][38] which have pledged strengthened support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, going further than the support delivered by the Ukraine Defense Contact Group by pledging readiness to also be part of a peacekeeping force deployed on Ukrainian territory, either by providing troops or contributing in other ways. The peacekeeping force is envisaged only to be deployed the moment Ukraine and Russia sign a "comprehensive ceasefire agreement" or "peace deal" to settle the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.[39] The initiative, led by the United Kingdom and France, was announced by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on 2 March 2025, following the 2025 London Summit on Ukraine under the motto "securing our future".[40]
The stated aim of the initiative is to facilitate the peace negotiation attempts launched and mediated by the United States between Ukraine and Russia in February 2025, by helping to build up strong enough security guarantees for Ukraine to ensure that a potential reached ceasefire or peace deal would be lasting.[41] Besides serving the role as building up a potential peacekeeping force, the coalition have also expressed readiness to increase military support for Ukraine and strengthen economic sanctions against Russia, in the event that the ongoing negotiations for a "comprehensive ceasefire" or "peace deal" would fail. As of 20 March 2025, the exact shape and function of the coalition was described as still being subject to ongoing planning, but moved into an "operational phase".[42][43]
According to a report from Le Monde, in late November 2024 Paris and London were discussing taking the lead in a coalition to be deployed in Ukraine, on terms not then defined. This was in light of Trump's return to the White House and the prospect of American disengagement from Kyiv.[45] The option of sending "troops" to Ukraine, the debate on which French PresidentEmmanuel Macron had launched at a meeting of Kyiv's allies in Paris in February 2024, was strongly opposed by some European countries, led by Germany. This scenario had not been buried however and was revived during the visit of British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer to France for the 11 November Armistice Day ceremonies.[45] On 1 March 2025, Czech president Petr Pavel made a social media post on X, calling for the formation of a coalition of the willing to end the Russo-Ukrainian war.[46]
Designing MNF-U structural components and Ukraine's postwarsecurityguarantees
Footnotes
↑This date is pending the military completion of full operational capability (FOC) assessment for the Combined Joint Headquarters (CJHQ). This requires the troop contributing nations to successfully integrate their command, control and communication systems (C3) and certify their readiness levels. As of November2025[update], see §[to be determined]
March – August 2025
Building upon these bilateral discussions aiming at creating a hard core of allies in Europe focused on Ukraine and wider European security, Keir Starmer hosted, on 2 March 2025, the 2025 London Summit on Ukraine with Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian presidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy and sixteen other world leaders, in order to coordinate support for Ukraine. Starmer characterised the meeting as addressing a "once-in-a-generation moment" for European security, stating that the time had come for decisive action rather than continued deliberation, and officially announced Britain and France would lead a European "coalition of the willing" to provide security guarantees to Ukraine and enable peace negotiations with Russia.[40][49] The announcement came two days after a meeting between Zelenskyy and United States PresidentDonald Trump with Vice PresidentJD Vance at the White House on 28 February.[50][51]
On 11 March 2025, the military chiefs of staff of around 30 European and Commonwealth nations, as well as Japan, met in Paris for talks on the creation of an international security force for Ukraine to maintain peace should a ceasefire come into effect.[52][53]
On 15 March, Starmer held a virtual meeting with leaders from European and Commonwealth nations to assemble the "coalition of the willing" to consider options for a "reassurance force" to be deployed within Ukraine to deter renewed Russian attacks against the country should a ceasefire be agreed.[54] The meeting gathered the leaders of 26 countries, including several European countries, Ukraine, Turkey, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, as well as representatives from the European Commission and NATO;[55] and was addressed by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer as well as French president Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.[56]
On 17 March 2025, a spokesman of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom stated the coalition was expected to grow to "more than 30 countries", when military chiefs from the willing countries would be meeting, once again, on 20 March 2025 to discuss the next "operational phase" in protecting Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force–if a deal can be agreed with Russia. The spokesman added: "The contribution capabilities will vary, but this will be a significant force, with a significant number of countries providing troops and a larger group [of countries] contributing in other ways."[57]
On 20 March 2025, the exact shape and function of the coalition was described as still being subject to ongoing planning, but moved into an "operational phase" marked by the gathering of a meeting of military officials from 31 countries. No final decisions were announced after the meeting, but some media reported the participants had contemplated that the coalition could have two different designs depending on whether or not it should be deployed to defend a ceasefire agreement or a peace deal.[58][59]
Five military sub-planning groups (land, sea, air, regeneration and reconstruction) will reconvene the military officials from the 31 countries to continue discussions across three intensive planning days from 24–26 March at the Northwood Headquarters in England.[60][61]
The coalition then met again for a third high-level summit in Paris on 27 March 2025, with an agenda to finalise the plans on how the coalition shall be designed and deployed as a military force to ensure that a potential ceasefire will be lasting for Ukraine.[62][63] The agenda of the summit included drafting and debating a peace treaty proposal written by the coalition, drafting and debating how the coalition can secure a "complete ceasefire" acceptable to Ukraine, bolster aid to Ukraine (with each participating country expected to outline what it is prepared to do), and agreeing on a plan for providing long-term support for the Ukrainian army.[64] The outcome of the meeting was unanimous agreement that:[65]
No sanctions against Russia could be lifted as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement.
A potential sanctions relief should instead be conditioned on reaching a peace deal.
Defense chiefs from Ukraine, France and UK should soon meet in Ukraine to conduct the next stage of the detailed planning for setting up a potential reassurance force (determining the number of soldiers and type of military equipment required to be deployed after a reached peace deal, in order to deter and respond to a subsequently potential renewed Russian aggression).
On 24 April 2025, The Times reported that British officials considered deploying a ground force to defend Ukraine too risky and that the plan was likely to be abandoned, with military trainers deployed to Western Ukraine instead.[66] On 29 April 2025, it reported that Europe "would struggle to put 25,000 troops on the ground in Ukraine". Lithuania's defense minister Dovile Sakaliene reportedly said "Russia has 800,000 [troops]. Let me tell you this, if we can't even raise 64,000 that doesn't look weak — it is weak."[67]
On 17 July 2025, a week after signing Lancaster Declaration with France, the UK, as represented by defence secretary John Healey,[47] provided an update to the House of Commons on the war in Ukraine revealing command structure, components, and supposed name of the coalition force - Multinational Force Ukraine.[7] The name was confirmed on 17 August in the coalition statement.[8] Joined by NATO military chiefs between 19 and 21 August, coalition planners held virtual meetings on Ukraine with focus on security guarantees design.[12]
September - November 2025
In September 2025, the coalitional Multinational Force–Ukraine (MNF-U) established its strategic joint command headquarters in Fort Mont Valerien, Paris, co-led by France and the United Kingdom. This development marked the transition from theoretical planning to operational readiness, creating a structure to oversee the coalition's future non-combat stabilization mission.
After the 4 September 2025 coalition summit in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 nations had formally pledged to deploy troops as part of a "reassurance force" committed to roles including air policing, naval mine-clearing, and training, with deployment conditional on a ceasefire. By late October, the United Kingdom confirmed its specific contributions to securing Ukraine’s "skies and seas," a commitment formally reiterated in the House of Lords on October 31 by minister of State for Development, FCDO, baroness Jenny Chapman in the ministerial statement.[68]
Diplomatic friction with Russia intensified in November 2025. On November 17, the Paris headquarters was formally inaugurated. In response, Russian President Putin demanded an explicit ban on Western military deployments on Ukrainian soil as a precondition for any peace agreement.[69]
Diplomatic efforts culminated in late November. Following intense US-Ukrainian talks in Geneva on 23 November, a controversial US-drafted "28-point" peace plan — widely criticized as pro-Russian — was replaced by a revised "19-point proposal" more acceptable to Ukraine. Two days later, on November 25, coalition leaders met to formalize a dedicated working group to align European security guarantees with American diplomatic efforts, joined by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.[70] The same day, President Macron announced the creation of mentioned group to define the technical specifics of the military support.[33] France and the UK subsequently inuagurated this working group to define the final contributions, mandates, and security guarantees of the MNF-U.[71] Its mandate is to determine the specific security guarantees and national contributions for proposed MNF-U, with the participation of the United States and Turkey.[72] At the time of its establishment, the precise military details and specifics of these security guarantees remained unannounced, as defining them was the group's primary objective.
In addition to summits, the coalition has convened its second ministerial (3 September, NATO HQ, Brussels) and first announced directors-level (4 November, Madrid) meetings.[35]
December 2025 - present
As of December2025[update], the coalition focused on bridging European "Article 5-style" security commitments and the skepticism regarding their credibility without direct US combat involvement.
In a December briefing by European Parliament Research Service, coalition was suggested as an 'option of last resort' for financing 2026-27 Ukrainian security needs.[73]:7 On 8 December, following a meeting with European leaders in London (of UK, France, Germany, Ukraine;[74] and with the leaders of Italy, Finland, President of the European Commission and Secretary general of NATO participating virtually in the second part of the meeting by video link[75]), president Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine and its European partners had prepared a revised 20-point proposal to be shared with the US, stressing that while the talks were "productive," there was still no agreement on ceding any Ukrainian territory, a compromise he stated Kyiv would never accept.[76] The next day, news agencies specified three documents under discussion (the revised 20-point framework proposal for a peace plan, a reconstruction plan for Ukraine to be implemented after a reached ceasfire or peace, and a security guarantee agreement to be agreed between Ukraine, United States and the Coalition of the Willing), with the document about the security guarantees being requested by Ukraine and its European supporters to be 'aligned with the principles of the Coalition of the Willing'.[77][78]
The 11 December coalition's virtual summit official statements confirmed inviolability of borders principle and ongoing discussions regarding the detailed planning for a proposed European reassurance force as a component of the robust security guarantees being developed.[34][38][79] The same day discussions were followed by the online meeting between Ukraine and US part of the working group on security guarantees,[80] and later on by the series of meetings – culminating in the European leaders summit, along with Steven Witkoff, on 15 December 2025 - in Stuttgart and Berlin starting 13 December 2025.[81][82][83][84] Coalition, along the multinational force referred by the New York Times as 'European forces', was mentioned in the press statement of the 15 December European summit.[85]
High-level meetings
Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris, France - 4 September 2025
The coalition format serves as a mechanism to circumvent institutional stalemates, avoiding need for NATO to respond, while having an agility in a new security architecture in Europe.[86]:2[87]:6 As CoW is not a treaty-based entity, participants membership status has been conferred by representatives attending coalition meetings. From July 2025, France and the UK are constant co-chairs of the summit meetings. As of December2025[update], Germany joined the duumvirate twice as the third co-chair.[24]
The coalition so far held the following[b] high-level meetings, in order to help facilitate the peace negotiation attempts aiming to reach a "comprehensive ceasefire agreement" or "peace deal" to settle the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.[88]
The raison d'être of the initiative was created by the peace negotiation attempts launched and mediated by the United States between Ukraine and Russia in February 2025, as those negotiations initially did not present or offer Ukraine any substantial security guarantees to defend a potentially reached peace deal; while it was acknowledged that in order to ensure that a potential peace would be lasting for Ukraine then some stronger security guarantees than the pre-existing 1994 Budapest Memorandum would be needed, and at the same time became clear that the previously considered proposal to offer Ukraine an immediate membership of NATO as a security guarantee could not be realised. Besides serving the role as building up a potential peacekeeping force, the coalition also expressed readiness to increase military support for Ukraine and strengthen economic sanctions against Russia, in the event that the ongoing negotiations for a "comprehensive ceasefire" or "peace deal" would fail.
Four point-plan
In a press conference that followed the London summit, Starmer outlined four key components of the coalition's approach:[49][50]
Commitment to maintaining the flow of military aid to Ukraine while increasing economic pressure on Russia through sanctions and other measures.
Affirming that any lasting peace agreement must ensure the sovereignty and security of Ukraine, with Ukraine being present at all peace negotiations.
Pledging to enhance Ukraine's defensive military capabilities following any peace deal to deter potential future invasions.
Development of a "coalition of the willing" consisting of multiple countries prepared to defend the terms of any peace agreement and guarantee Ukraine's security afterwards.
In December 2025, scientists John Karlsrud and Yf Reykers of NUPI characterized the coalition as "a coordinated political effort to strengthen Europe’s role in ensuring Ukraine’s future sovereignty and security".[86]:2
Membership
The group consists largely of European and Commonwealth countries (see infobox Allies).[102] Australia was not represented at the 10 April 2025 meeting (see §).
Starmer publicly announced Japan had joined the Coalition of the Willing on 15 March 2025, however Japan did not joined a high-level coalition meeting until 13 August, when Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan joined the 7th CoW meeting (leaders) by video conference.[14][15][16] He also attended the next two virtual meetings.[17][18]
Despite being represented in the virtual meeting on 15 March, and the 10 May meeting, New Zealand was not represented in subsequent 27 March and 10 April meetings.[103][104]
The People's Republic of China declared willingness to take part in Ukraine's post-war reconstruction on 18 March,[105] and according to the German newspaper Die Welt, China also contemplated joining the Coalition of the willing if being invited on 22 March.[106] The Chinese Foreign Ministry later officially denied reports that China could ever join the coalition, as partaking in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine spearheaded by European leaders was viewed to conflict with its policy of neutrality in Russo-Ukrainian War.[107]
As of November2025[update], Albania has satisfied the standard for membership in the Coalition of the Willing by confirming three cabinet-level participations in the Coalition summits, with the total number of committed countries at 34 confirmed in the 25 November meeting.
Albania's Cabinet-Level Participation in CoW Meetings, APR - DEC 2025
Flags of the Coalition of the willing participant countries (montage reconstructing the order of precedence per the 4 September 2025 coalition summit hosted by France)
The official confirmed attendance of Montenegro’s prime minister Milojko Spajić at the coalition summits is detailed in the table below.
Montenegro Representation in CoW Meetings, SEP - DEC 2025
As part of the announcement, British Prime Minister Starmer committed £1.6 billion (US$2 billion) in UK export finances to purchase more than 5,000 air defence missiles for Ukraine.[113] The missiles will be manufactured in Belfast in Northern Ireland.[113] This complemented a previously announced £2.2 billion loan for military aid to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets.[114][115]
Starmer emphasised that European countries would need to take primary responsibility for the initiative and "do the heavy lifting" and that the agreement would require US backing and Russian involvement. He indicated that the United Kingdom would back its security commitments with "boots on the ground, and planes in the air", regarding the possibility of UK and EU direct military presence in Ukraine to carry out a peace enforcement operation.[50]
Secretary General of NATOMark Rutte echoed this sentiment, noting that the meeting demonstrated European countries "stepping up" to ensure Ukraine has the resources necessary to "stay in the fight as long as it has to continue."[50]
Right after the meeting, Finland's president Alexander Stubb said that Norway and Finland are working in support of the drafting of the UK-France-Ukraine peace plan. In addition, he said that the role of the countries that are Russia's neighbours will be different from providing peacekeeping troops.[116]
On 30 April 2025, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal offered to contribute "a company-sized unit (50 to 250 soldiers), including combat troops, instructors, and staff officers" as part of the "coalition of the willing".[117] Portugal has pledged €226 million towards the supply of weapons and military equipment, in addition to training for pilots and drone operators.[118] Denmark has invested in sustainable indigenous Ukrainian production of equipment (the Danish model), made possible through the support of the European Union.[119]
International law and peace enforcement framework for Ukraine
The legal architecture for the coalition’s peacekeeping mission is evolving in the shadow of UN precedent and international law.[120][121] Deployment is to occur only with a comprehensive, signed ceasefire or peace deal, respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty and the norms prohibiting intervention in active conflicts without host-country consent. Rules of engagement, status of forces, and chain of command are being negotiated in detail, taking lessons from previous 'coalitions of the willing'.[c][123]
Cereals EXPORT LOGISTICS, UKRAINE(excluding oblasts partly occupied by Russia, in light green) Originally published by USDA, June 2025UKRAINE Administrative(FEB 2024, in white)and population density(MAR 2022, in orange)maps Credit: UN OCHAUKRAINE Territorial control in four oblasts, Autonomous Republic Crimea as of 25 October 2025 (Source: ISW)
As of October2025[update], lack of specific 'reassurance force in Ukraine' legal analysis highlights the risks of ambiguity in force mandate, especially in the context of 'robust peace enforcement' (as opposed to traditional peacekeeping).[124][125][126]
The Multinational Force–Ukraine[f] (MNF-U),[name 1] is a proposed non-permanent armed multinational coalition future force, politically led by France and the United Kingdom, designed to deploy to Ukraine only following a comprehensive ceasefire agreement in the aftermath of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Conceived as a rapid deployment force in response to the ceasefire in Russo-Ukrainian war, if comprehensively agreed, it is to operate with English as its working language and under extended multinational agreements. Coalition’s expected mandate to support a comprehensive ceasefire and post-war stabilization in Ukraine includes military logistics, training, force generation, naval mine‑clearing, and air policing.[44] Before the full-scale invasion, around 90 percent of Ukraine’s grain exports flowed through the Black Sea, making this trade route central not only to the country’s economic survival and wartime resilience but also to global food security. Thus, maritime line of MNF-U operation is expected.
Its planned command structure is divided between a joint command headquarters in Paris and a coordination headquarters in Kyiv, with a French three‑star commander in Paris and a British two‑star deputy in Kyiv. As of November2025[update], MNF‑U was in the planning phase, with deployment to follow the cessation of hostilities.[134] The MNF-U's structure, mandate, and legitimacy have quickly become points of discussion not only among governments but also within the media and academic communities across Europe and beyond,[135][136]:4 including by Mark Galeotti, a historian and lecturer specialising in Russian crime and security affairs, who explains that committed for deployment into Ukraine contingents would be
"three times the size of the force in-country at any time, likely to be tens of thousands-strong".[137]
The potential MNF–U's mandate is tied to the competing diplomatic proposals defining the Russo-Ukrainian war's desired end state. While the European counterproposal prioritized robust security guarantees (CSIS, Provision 5), the US 28-point draft plan focused on establishing a demilitarized zone on Ukrainian soil (CSIS, Provision 21).[138] On 15 December, multinational force Ukraine "from within the European coalition", as part of a framework agreement under discussion at the Berlin meeting between European leaders and US representatives, was mentioned in the meeting's official press statement.[139] On 18 December, UK defense secretary Luke Pollard confirmed British armed forces readiness to be deployed as part of the multinational force.[140] Additionally, the same day, Bloomberg News reported on a potential role of the European force in post-war security guarantees,[141] a plan rejected by Russia the next day.[142] According to the Financial Times, Germany and France are for the coalition to participate in the peace negotiations in the Russo-Ukrainian war.[143]
↑Five sub-planning groups (land, sea, air, regeneration, and reconstruction)[7]
↑For three August 2025 hybrid-format summits and the 3 September ministerial see infographics above
↑As of December2025[update], the main discussion points in academia on security studies:
Mandate ambiguity for a reassurance force in Ukraine
Peacekeeping versus peace enforcement
-Consent and sovereignty -Authority to use force
Current proposals and political signals shaping the mandate
-Coalition commitments: as of early September 2025, 26 countries publicly committed to a reassurance force contingent on a ceasefire or peace deal, signaling breadth of political support but not resolving the legal basis or full operational scope;[35] -Force composition and options -Willing contributors -Security guarantees landscape
Rules of engagement, status of forces, and chain of command
-Rules of engagement (ROE) -Status of forces agreements (SOFAs) -Command and control (2C)
Managing the peace enforcement versus peacekeeping tension
-Mandate drafting -Consent architecture: to anchor the mission in Ukraine’s formal invitation and parliamentary authorization (According to Ukraine's Prime Minister’s Office statement on 10 July 2025, Ukraine is ready to issue an invitation to the force and enter into formal agreements with participating nations as and when necessary), complemented by the coalition parliamentary approvals and harmonized national caveats annexed to the mandate. If UNSC authorization is infeasible, transparency and legality via public instruments, SOFAs, and ROE publication (to the extent possible) bolster legitimacy;[122] -Escalation ladders and accountability
↑The title is the proper name and a common noun phrase.[127] First attested public usage of the acronym is in UK Ministry of Defence answer to a written question.[128] Later in 2025, the attested usage are in the Ukraine's,[1] Serbia's media,[129] in Finnish.[3] French usage is a calque from English, though acronym is not attested.[130] For translation influence on shaping conflicts discourse and information transitioning from local to international press and vice versa see the handbook.[131]
↑French: Force multinationale – Ukraine,[132]Ukrainian: Багатонаціональні сили–Україна, romanized:Bahatonatsionalni syly—Ukraina, lit.'poly- (many-)/-national/ forces (troops)—Ukraine'. Also known as deterrence (as in Ukrainian: сили стримування, romanized:syly strymuvannia and French: force de dissuasion), stabilization (as in French: force de stabilisation and Ukrainian: стабілізаційні сили, romanized:stabilizatsiyni syly), reassurance force (as in French: force de réassurance). MFU was used as an initialism before MNF-U acronym in usage.[133]
12Allison, George (6 September 2025). "UK to lead headquarters of Multinational Force Ukraine". UK Defence Journal. Retrieved 27 October 2025. The intent is for the three star command of the Multinational Force Ukraine to remain joint between UK and France [after HQ rotation from Paris to London]. This will be reviewed once the detail of any ceasefire is known. [...] English, as consistent with 'usual protocols for international collaboration.'
1234567Defence Secretary statement on war in Ukraine (Speech). Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, provided an update to the House of Commons on the war in Ukraine. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025– via GOV.uk. More than 200 military planners from 30 nations have worked intensively for weeks, with Ukraine and including reconnaissance in Ukraine, led by UK personnel. [...] a future Multinational Force for Ukraine [...] will include a 3-star multi-national command headquarters in Paris, rotating to London after 12 months
1234Prime Minister's Office; Starmer, Keir (17 August 2025). "Statement of the Co-chairs of the Coalition of the Willing: 17 August 2025" (Press release). Retrieved 18 August 2025– via GOV.uk. The leaders also commended President Trump's commitment to providing security guarantees to Ukraine, in which the Coalition of the Willing will play a vital role through the Multinational Force Ukraine, among other measures.
↑Felicia Schwartz; Paul McLeary (17 December 2025). "US, Russia to hold talks on Ukraine war in Miami this weekend". Archived from the original on 17 December 2025. [...]convene a group of Ukraine-supporting military officials in the U.S. to further hammer out technical details on security and territory.
↑Luke Pollard (5 September 2025). "Ukraine: Peacekeeping Operations – Written Question 69950"[by James Cartlidge]. TheyWorkForYou. UK Parliament. UIN 69950 tabled on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025. Under current plans, the two star military commander in Kyiv will be an Army officer.
Jorge Liboreiro (25 November 2025). "Peace talks: France and UK insist on multinational force for post-war Ukraine". MSN. Retrieved 26 November 2025. At the end of the gathering, which saw 35 countries and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio join online, Macron announced a "working group" would be set up to finalise the security guarantees and the contributions of each participant.
12Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street; The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP (11 December 2025). "PM call with the Coalition of the Willing: 11 December 2025" (Press release). GOV.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2025. They reiterated their support for President Trump's efforts to put an end to the war, and underlined that any solution must fully involve Ukraine, preserve its sovereignty, be in line with the principles of the United Nations Charter, and guarantee its long-term security. They were clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. This remains one of the fundamental principles for preserving stability and peace in Europe and beyond.
12Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street (10 July 2025). "Lancaster House 2.0: Declaration on Modernising UK-French Defence and Security Cooperation". GOV.UK (Press release). Retrieved 9 November 2025. f. Use the CJF structures to underpin the Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine. The force will provide the joint planning framework to cohere the Coalition, ensure joint operational and strategic messaging. It will provide Coalition leadership and command and control for the planning and operational deployment of the Coalition covering all five domains, preparing for the operational deployment of the CJF in the event of a ceasefire – which can be supported by allies.
↑Sabbagh, Dan (20 October 2025). "UK peace force for Ukraine would cost 'well over £100m', says defence secretary". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2025. But although Healey said that Starmer had committed to "UK boots on the ground", land forces will be limited to logistics, armament and training specialists to help Ukraine's army protect the country from future attack. The force would "secure the skies and seas, and train Ukrainian forces to defend their nation", Healey said in a speech at the Mansion House, London.
↑Chapman, Jenny (31 October 2025). "Ukraine". Hansard. 849. UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 8 December 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025. [...]that includes the deployment of a multinational force to help secure Ukraine's skies and seas and regenerate Ukraine's armed forces once hostilities have ceased
"Putin insists Ukraine has to surrender territory for any deal to be possible". The Guardian. 27 November 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025. Speaking to reporters[...] Putin said Russia would halt its offensive only if Ukrainian forces withdrew from unspecified areas currently under Kyiv's control. "If Ukrainian troops leave the territories they occupy, then we will stop fighting," he said. "If they don't, we will achieve our aims militarily."... Kyiv would also be expected to accept reductions or a halt to US military assistance, while any future deployment of western troops to Ukraine – including those envisioned under the Franco-British "coalition of the willing" – would be explicitly banned.
↑Michael Birnbaum; Robyn Dixon; Siobhán O'Grady; Francesca Ebel; Catherine Belton (26 November 2025). "Trump pushes Ukraine, Russia on peace deal, but key issues are unresolved". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 November 2025. [...]after a meeting of leaders of many of the countries that back Ukraine, along with Zelensky and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Macron said that while Europeans supported peace, "several participants in our meeting also reported on their own direct exchanges with the Russians, including with President Putin. It is now clear that Russia has no intention of agreeing to a ceasefire."
↑Michael D. Shear; Steven Erlanger; Christopher F. Schuetze (16 December 2025). "Ukraine Plan Calls For Enhanced Military, With U.S. and European Backup". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. French and British diplomats are managing the proposal to deploy European forces in Ukraine as part of a group of about 30 countries they call the "Coalition of the Willing."
↑Pollard, Luke (4 September 2025). "Ukraine: Peacekeeping Operations". UK Parliament. UIN 69956, tabled on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025. Over 30 nations are working together to provide support for MNF-U.
↑not named (17 November 2025). "Macron reçoit Zelensky en vue d'un accord d'armement 'historique'"[Macron meets Zelensky for 'historic' arms agreement]. Radio Lac (in French). Archived from the original on 11 December 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025. Les deux chefs d'État devaient se rendre au siège de la force multinationale Ukraine que Paris et Londres...
↑Ponomarenko, Lesia; Rosendo, Lucía Ruiz (3 November 2025). "10.Narratives of war and frames of conflict across languages: Evolution over a century". In Lucía Ruiz Rosendo; Marija Todorova (eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Translating and Interpreting Conflict. Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Incorporated. ISBN978-1032407012.
↑"Zelensky et Macron visiteront lundi à Paris l'état-major de la «force multinationale Ukraine»"[Zelensky and Macron will visit the staff of the "multinational force Ukraine" in Paris on Monday] (in French). AFP. 14 November 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025– via mediapart.fr. Emmanuel Macron recevra lundi à Paris le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky, avec lequel il visitera l'état-major de la «force multinationale Ukraine» que s'efforcent de créer la France et le Royaume-Uni en vue d'un éventuel cessez-le-feu avec la Russie, a annoncé vendredi l'Elysée.[Emmanuel Macron will receive Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris on Monday, with whom he will visit the headquarters of the "multinational force Ukraine" that France and the United Kingdom are trying to create in view of a possible ceasefire with Russia, the Elysée Palace announced on Friday.]
↑Allison, George (6 September 2025). "UK to lead headquarters of Multinational Force Ukraine". UK Defence Journal. Archived from the original on 7 September 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025. The intent is for the three star command of the Multinational Force Ukraine to remain joint between UK and France [after HQ rotation from Paris to London]. This will be reviewed once the detail of any ceasefire is known.
↑6th Report - The UK contribution to European Security (Report). House of Commons Defense Committee. 19 November 2025. HC 520. Archived from the original on 15 December 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025. Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer of the German Marshall Fund: "France and the UK today are leading the overall deterrence security guarantee conversations, because these are the two European nuclear powers".
Kate Sullivan; Michael Nienaber; Aliaksandr Kudrytski (15 December 2025). "US Offers Security Deal in Ukraine Talks But Territory Still Key". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 15 December 2025. [...] framework agreement in which EU officials "committed" to security guarantees including a multinational force from within the European coalition supported by the US that would help secure Ukraine, [...]"
↑ANNE-SYLVAINE CHASSANY; HENRY FOY; ADRIENNE KLASA (22 December 2025). "Role reversal: how foot-dragging France blindsided newly assertive Berlin". Financial Times UK. Retrieved 22 December 2025. Both Merz and Macron agree on support for Ukraine and the need for the continent to take a more active role in peace talks through a "coalition of the willing".
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Keir Starmer 
Emmanuel Macron 
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