Everything we know so far about the 'Coalition of the Willing' for Ukraine
"Europe, as a whole, has not been this strong and united for a very long time."
This is how Keir Starmer, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, has described the diplomatic push to assemble a "Coalition of the Willing" to safeguard a potential deal to end Russia's war on Ukraine, a task that took on sudden urgency after Donald Trump caught Europe off guard by unilaterally launching negotiations with Vladimir Putin.
Since that 90-minute phone call on 12 February, the continent has been trying to reassert its standing in the fast-moving chains of events to ensure its voice is heard and its interests are considered. Among them is the imperative need to guarantee Ukraine's survival as an independent, sovereign nation and put the brakes on Putin's expanionist agenda, which many fear will continue unchecked should his invasion prevail.
Doing so will require a peace deal that holds and lasts.
But Europe is deeply distrustful of Russia, having seen the country breach its commitments under the so-called Minsk agreements designed to end the Donbas war. This explains why this time, with the bloodiest conflict on its soil since World War II, Europe is coming together on a larger, bolder scale to prevent a repeat of the past.
"Our goal is clear: to secure peace," French President Emmanuel Macron said last week after hosting a leaders' summit in Paris. "To do this, we must put Ukraine in the best possible position to negotiate and ensure that the peace that is negotiated is solid and lasting for Ukrainians and all Europeans."
Here's everything we know so far about the "Coalition of the Willing."
Who's part of the coalition?The seeds of the coalition were planted on 17 February, when Macron convened a small meeting of leaders in reaction to the Trump-Putin phone call. The hand-picked selection of guests suggested a new political format was about to emerge.
Less than two weeks later, on 2 March, as Europe was reeling from the disastrous encounter that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had experienced in the Oval Office, Keir Starmer hosted a second meeting of leaders in London, with a longer list of attendants.
At the end of the closely watched deliberations, the prime minister publicly declared the birth of a "Coalition of the Willing", co-led by Britain and France.
Last week's summit in Paris further enlarged the number of participants.
Besides Macron, Starmer and Zelenskyy, the summit brought in leaders from Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Turkey sent its vice president, Cevdet Yilmaz, while Australia and Canada were represented by their respective ambassadors in France.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission; António Costa, the president of the European Council; and Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, were also present, adding a wider dimension to the talks.
In total, 33 delegations.
Starmer had previously mentioned Japan and New Zealand as part of the coalition, even if both nations did not attend the recent meeting in Paris.
Who's not in the coalition?It's clear that the majority of the participants in the coalition are also members of the European Union, which Ukraine wishes to join one day.
There are, however, some eye-catching exceptions.
Malta and Austria have so far not joined the meetings due to their countries' neutrality. By contrast, Ireland, which is also neutral, was present in Paris. "We're willing to do whatever we possibly can to help," Micheál Martin, the Taoiseach, said in March.
Hungary and Slovakia are the other EU countries that have not joined the coalition. They are not neutral – both are in fact NATO members – but strongly disagree over Europe's approach to the war. Hungary and Slovakia oppose sending military assistance to Ukraine, which they depict as escalatory.
Viktor Orbán has taken his opposition to a new level and twice blocked joint EU conclusions on Ukraine, though Slovakia endorsed the text.
Switzerland, a long-standing neutral state, and the six Balkan countries have also remained outside the discussions.
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