# Coalition of the willing (Russo-Ukrainian War)

The coalition of the willing, as it is known, is a coalition of nations which have pledged support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, announced by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer following a summit of 18 world leaders in London. The initiative, announced during the 2025 London Summit on Ukraine on 2 March 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 or Russo-Ukrainian War.

## Background

On 1 March 2025, Czech president Petr Pavel made a social media post, calling for the formation of "a broad coalition of those willing" to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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 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. 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 28 February.
On 11 March 2025, security officials from around 30 countries met in Paris on Tuesday for talks on the creation of an international security force for Ukraine to maintain peace should a ceasefire come into effect.
On 15 March, Starmer held a virtual meeting with leaders from European and Commonwealth nations to assemble a "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. The meeting, including the European Commission, European nations, NATO, Canada, Ukraine, Australia and New Zealand was addressed by Starmer as well as French president Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

## List of countries and organisations

The group consists largely of European and Commonwealth countries. The countries that joined the London summit and expressed commitment to providing continued aid for Ukraine were:
* Canada
* Czechia
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Italy
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Poland
* Romania
* Spain
* Sweden
* Japan
* United Kingdom
Representatives for the following were also present at the London summit:
* European Union
* NATO
* Turkey
Leaders of the following countries have stated that they are also open to considering sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine:
* Australia
* Belgium
* New Zealand

## Four point-plan

In a press conference that followed the London summit, Starmer outlined four key components of the coalition's approach:
* 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 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. The missiles will be manufactured in Belfast in Northern Ireland. This complemented a previously announced £2.2 billion loan for military aid to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets.
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.
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.
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."
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.