The so-called “Coalition of the Willing” has reiterated its calls for “robust and credible security guarantees” for Kyiv after Wednesday’s talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.
The coalition, led by the UK and France, aims to provide post-war Ukraine with security guarantees through military support, potentially including the deployment of foreign troops.
According to a joint statement released by co-chairs Britain, Germany, and France, the coalition said it is ready to play “an active role” – including by deploying a reassurance force to Ukraine – if a ceasefire is reached.
“Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement says, according to Reuters.
“The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role, including through plans by those willing to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased,” it adds.
The coalition also warned against barring Ukraine from joining NATO or the EU – official war goals of Moscow, now framed as peace terms and set as prerequisites for talks.
“No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia could not have a veto against Ukraine’s pathway to EU and NATO,” the statement adds.
On Wednesday, Kyiv, Europe and the US held three rounds of talks to coordinate positions ahead of Trump’s meeting with Putin on Friday, with the coalition discussion – the last of the three – following prior agreement that a ceasefire must be a key goal on Friday before any further negotiations.
On July 10, Britain and France provided the first details of what the coalition would look like in practice, including a permanent headquarters rotating between Paris and London, securing maritime access to Ukraine’s ports, and a pledge to help Ukraine regenerate its armed forces.
As reported by Ukrainian news agency Interfax, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schooff said that Wednesday’s coalition meeting demonstrated a “high level of unity” between EU leaders.
But all these plans depend on a cessation of active hostilities between Ukraine and Russia.
Ahead of Friday’s talks, Trump had previously suggested that Ukraine might “swap” control of Russian-occupied areas for Moscow’s withdrawal from some Ukrainian regions.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not rule out the possibility that Ukraine might be forced to cede land, despite the coalition statement reaffirming that “international borders must not be changed by force.”
Trump’s earlier talks of a so-called land swap has sparked concern on both sides of the Atlantic.
Retired American military officer Col. Richard Williams (Ret.), a former deputy director in NATO’s Defence Investment Division, previously told the Kyiv Post that Trump’s proposed intervention would spell only a “bloody Russian land grab” and an “unjust temporary ceasefire.”