Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The United Kingdom and France are hosting a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing to Support Ukraine at the defense ministers' level at NATO headquarters. According to a statement issued by NATO headquarters in Brussels, the second meeting will begin this afternoon, Thursday, under joint British and French chairmanship and attended by the defense ministers of the alliance's member states.
The Coalition of the Willing is a coalition of 31 countries that have pledged to strengthen their support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, going beyond the support provided by the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group. They have pledged their readiness to participate in a peacekeeping force deployed on Ukrainian territory, either by providing troops or contributing in other ways. The peacekeeping force is scheduled to be deployed only once Ukraine and Russia sign a "comprehensive ceasefire agreement" or "peace deal" to resolve the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced this initiative, led by the United Kingdom and France, on March 2, 2025, following the London 2025 Summit on Ukraine under the theme "Securing Our Future." The stated goal of the initiative is to facilitate the US-brokered peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in February 2025 by helping to establish sufficiently robust security guarantees for Ukraine to ensure the sustainability of any potential ceasefire or peace agreement. In addition to its role in building a potential peacekeeping force, the alliance has also expressed its willingness to increase military support to Ukraine and tighten economic sanctions on Russia should the ongoing negotiations to reach a "comprehensive ceasefire" or "peace agreement" fail. As of March 20, 2025, the precise form and function of the alliance were described as still being planned but had moved into an "implementation phase."