Brussels – The coalition of the willing seems to be moving ahead expeditiously, although, for now, these are only commitments on paper. Emmanuel Macron has convened a leaders’ meeting in Paris for Thursday after military chiefs met in London last week to lay out operational plans on how to monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine in more detail.
“The whole process will be finalized in the coming days.” These words, spoken by the French president on the sidelines of the EU summit on Thursday (March 20), convey the urgency that Old Continent’s chancelleries feel. “We will conclude our work on short-term support for the Ukrainian army, on defending a sustainable and durable Ukrainian army model to prevent Russian invasions, and then on the security guarantees that European armies can provide,” Macron added, announcing a meeting in Paris next Thursday (March 27), which Volodymyr Zelensky, among others, will attend.
This is yet another meeting between the leaders of the participants in the so-called coalition of the willing — some 30 countries following the French-British initiative to send peacekeepers to Ukraine to monitor compliance with a possible ceasefire — and will take place exactly one week after the last meeting held in London by the Chiefs of Staff, in parallel with the ongoing EU summit in Brussels where member states (except Hungary) renewed their support for Kyiv.
Several operational ideas for translating the commitment to “protect the peace” into practice emerged from the London session, including the formula of a military force on four “levels.” The first, along the ceasefire line (which should be demilitarized), would consist of United Nations White Helmets from non-European countries. The next tier would be the Ukrainian army, the third that of the “willing.” At the same time, the final guarantee would be provided by US aviation (although, so far, Washington has never agreed to participate).
While His Majesty’s Air Force (RAF) is reportedly considering sending some fighter aircraft to the aggrieved country, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also opened the door to contributions of a non-military nature, such as through logistical support. It is a way to get in the way of leaders who, while professing their closeness to the former Soviet republic, are unwilling to send contingents of soldiers to the former Soviet republic, like Giorgia Meloni, whose government categorically refused to send troops, except in the context of an operation under a UN flag.
Incidentally, Russia also prefers a multinational force and strongly opposes the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine. As a “fundamental” condition for accepting a ceasefire, the Kremlin even demanded that the Western allies of Kyiv immediately halt providing military aid (including intelligence sharing), as well as a stop to mobilization in the attacked country.
Negotiations between the United States and Russia are underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after the US delegation met yesterday with the Ukrainian one.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
