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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are leading discussions among 37 countries on forming a “coalition of the willing” for Ukraine in the event of a peaceful settlement.
This is stated in a publication by Bloomberg.
Britain and France are trying to strengthen Ukraine’s position in negotiations, while U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to achieve a settlement in the war with Russia. The two sole nuclear states of Europe are working to develop a plan that will help guarantee Kyiv’s security.
According to the agency, the “coalition of the willing,” which London and Paris are working to unite, may include countries from Europe, the Commonwealth of Nations, and Asia. According to the plan, they will provide financial assistance, troops, aircraft, or naval vessels to help protect Ukraine from a new Russian aggression.
At a separate meeting on Tuesday in Paris, non-NATO countries, including Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, joined negotiations with military leaders from dozens of European countries, as well as Canada, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Each country was asked what exactly it was willing to contribute to the coalition. Those who ruled out sending troops to Ukraine were asked whether they agreed to deploy ground forces in neighboring European countries and what other contributions they could make, including sending minehunters, ships, aircraft, tanks, and providing intelligence, sources told the agency.
Military leaders will present Starmer and Macron with more detailed options for peacekeeping forces for Ukraine in the coming days. This issue will be discussed with other leaders during a virtual phone call over the weekend, people say.
Then the proposal will be presented to Trump, whom they hope to convince to provide U.S. security guarantees in the form of air force support, intelligence, and border surveillance without the need to include American troops in the peacekeeping forces, sources said.
Britain and France also do not want the U.S. to concede to Putin’s demands for the demilitarization of Ukraine and force President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to hold elections before a permanent peace agreement is reached. On Wednesday, Starmer stated that the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia must also be part of the settlement.
Officials believe that the U.S.-Ukraine agreement on a 30-day ceasefire, as well as the development of plans for peacekeeping forces, has increased pressure on Russia, forcing it to make concessions. However, there are serious concerns that Russia will use the ceasefire period to rearm and launch further attacks on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the defense ministers of five leading European states held talks in Paris on Wednesday to coordinate support for Ukraine. The defense ministers of these countries will meet again next week to continue discussions on “military planning” in the event of a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
Read also: Trump warns Russia of ‘devastating’ consequences if it rejects ceasefire
