The “Coalition of the Willing” for Ukraine gathered in Paris yesterday and, for once, lived up to its name.
More than two dozen nations – from the US and Canada to Australia, Japan and a string of European states – agreed on a blueprint for Kyiv’s long-term security guarantees once the war ends, as my colleague Alexandra Brzozowski reports.
Emmanuel Macron said 26 countries have now finalized commitments to shield Ukraine from future Russian aggression once arms fall silent.
Contributions will vary: some dispatching troops, others offering NATO bases or helping rebuild Ukraine’s forces. Each country will “make its own decisions,” the French president said, without going into detail.
The leap from 11 initial backers is no small feat. Even previously hesitant states have rallied behind Kyiv. The plan now heads to Washington, where the US must decide in the coming days whether to anchor it.
A jolt came from Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who revealed that Trump had urged tighter coordination on sanctions to choke Russia’s oil and gas revenues in a call with EU leaders yesterday. Von der Leyen and Trump’s close advisers will discuss the push “over the next 24 hours,” Stubb said.
Washington’s strategy is plain: cutting off Russia’s war oil lifeline. Yet unless China, India – the two largest consumers of Moscow crude – and much of the global south join in, Vladimir Putin can still find markets. Trump, who has already punished New Delhi with a 50% tariff last month over its oil purchases, is betting pressure will bring them in line.
Brussels is moving closer too. EU defense and foreign ministers debated fresh curbs last week, including on the “shadow fleet” of tankers carrying Moscow crude.
Despite the EU’s embargo, Hungary and Slovakia remain hooked on Russian oil – and unlike others, have done little to diversify. Ukraine’s August strikes on the Druzhba pipeline underscored just how precarious that reliance has become.
And so, Trump’s coordinated sanctions push may end up squeezing not only Putin but also one of his most dependable European friends, Viktor Orbán.
See the original report by Nicoletta Ionta in Euractiv’s The Capitals Newsletter here.