Coalition of the willing (Russo-Ukrainian War)

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The term coalition of the willing is used to describe a coalition as part of a four-point plan announced by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer to support Ukraine against Russian aggression following a summit of 18 world leaders in London. The initiative, announced during the 2025 London Summit on Ukraine on March 2, 2025, aimed to strengthen European support for Ukraine amidst shifting U.S. policy and to establish a framework for a lasting peace settlement to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine / Russo-Ukrainian War.

Contents

Background

On 2 March 2025, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer hosted the 2025 London Summit on Ukraine with 18 world leaders, in order to coordinate support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Starmer characterized 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. [1] The announcement came two days after a meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and United States President Donald Trump with Vice President JD Vance at the White House on February 28. [2] [3]

Formation

List of countries

The countries that joined the London summit expressed commitment to providing continued aid for Ukraine included the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Canada, Norway, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Romania, and the Czech Republic. Representatives for Turkey, the European Union, and NATO were also present at the meeting. [1] [2]

Four point-plan

In a press conference that followed the London summit, Starmer outlined four key components of the coalition's approach: [1] [2]

  1. Commitment to maintaining the flow of military aid to Ukraine while increasing economic pressure on Russia through sanctions and other measures.
  2. Affirming that any lasting peace agreement must ensure the sovereignty and security of Ukraine, with Ukraine being present at all peace negotiations.
  3. Pledging to enhance Ukraine's defensive military capabilities following any peace deal to deter potential future invasions.
  4. Development of a "coalition of the willing" consisting of multiple nations prepared to defend the terms of any peace agreement and guarantee Ukraine's security afterward.

Commitments

As part of the announcement, Starmer committed £1.6 billion ($2 billion) in UK export finances to purchase more than 5,000 air defense missiles for Ukraine. [4] The missiles will be manufactured in Belfast in Northern Ireland. [4] This complemented a previously announced £2.2 billion loan for military aid to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets. [5] [6]

Starmer emphasized that European nations 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. [2]

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the "urgent need to re-arm Europe," to support such security guarantees after "a long time of underinvestment". She suggested that the European Union might need to ease its fiscal rules regarding national debt to facilitate increased defense spending by member states. [1]

Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte echoed this sentiment, noting that the meeting demonstrated European nations "stepping up" to ensure Ukraine has the resources necessary to "stay in the fight as long as it has to continue." [2]

Right after the meeting, Finland's president 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. [7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Starmer says 'coalition of the willing' to present Ukraine peace plan to US". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Starmer: Coalition of willing to guarantee Ukraine peace". www.bbc.com. 2025-03-02. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  3. ↑ "UK to defend Ukraine peace deal with 'coalition of willing', Starmer says". Sky News. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  4. 1 2 "Keir Starmer announces £1.6bn missile deal for Ukraine". www.bbc.com. 2025-03-02. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  5. ↑ "UK to boost Ukraine funding using £2bn from seized Russian assets". www.bbc.com. 2024-10-22. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  6. ↑ "Ukraine war latest: Europe developing 'coalition of the willing' to back ceasefire in Ukraine, Starmer says". The Kyiv Independent. 2025-03-02. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  7. ↑ "Stubb: Suomi on mukana Ukrainan rauhansuunnitelman laatimisessa". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2025-03-02. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
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