The Coalition of the Willing will have a new permanent headquarters in Paris, with plans in place for a future coordination cell in Kyiv, as command structures for the future reassurance force are finalised.
It comes after leaders from the Coalition of the Willing met virtually today, with the Prime Minister and President Macron joining from the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood and President Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Meloni and other leaders joining from the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome to discuss the latest planning and our wider efforts to support Ukraine.
For the first time, representatives of the United States, including Special Presidential Envoy, General Keith Kellogg, Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal, joined the meeting.
Military chiefs updated on the significant progress made, including the completion of reconnaissance visits to Ukraine, to better understand how a post-ceasefire force could best help regenerate the strength and firepower of Ukrainian forces and provide reassurance in the years to come.
Following agreement on command structures for the force, leaders agreed that planning should continue on an enduring, business as usual footing, to ensure that a force can deploy in the days following the cessation of hostilities.
That will include a 3-star multi-national operational headquarters in Paris, led by the UK and France, to oversee all tactical and operational arrangements.
The headquarters, which will rotate to London after the first 12 months, will allow partners to contribute forces flexibly and deploy military teams for different operational strands of work.
When the force deploys, a co-ordination cell, headed up by a UK 2-star military officer will also be set up in Kyiv.
Following the cessation of hostilities, the force is expected to:
- Regenerate land forces: providing logistic, armament and training experts to assist with the regeneration and reconstitution of Ukraine’s land forces.
- Secure Ukraine’s skies: The Coalition will provide safe skies alongside Ukraine’s Air Force using Coalition aircraft to deliver Air Policing, reassuring the Ukrainian population and establishing the conditions for normal international air travel to re-commence.
- Support safer seas: The existing Black Sea Task Force of Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria will be bolstered by additional specialist staff to accelerate the clearance of mines from the Black Sea and ensure safe and secure maritime access for all vessels transiting to and from Ukraine ports.
During the meeting, leaders condemned President Putin’s brutal attacks on Ukrainian cities and disregard for peace talks and reaffirmed their determination to continue applying pressure on Putin to stop his illegal attacks and engage meaningfully in negotiations. They also welcomed progress made at the Ukraine Recovery Conference to help Ukraine grow its economy and protect its infrastructure against Russia’s attacks.
They agreed their priority effort must be to focus on Ukraine’s immediate defence in the face of relentless Russian attacks on critical national infrastructure and civilians.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
Supporting Ukraine is not just the right thing to do, it’s essential for delivering security at home. That is why the Coalition of the Willing is ensuring we have a future force that can deploy following a ceasefire to deter Russian aggression for years to come.
But as we continue to prepare for peace, our focus must also be on making it happen. So, alongside our partners, in the coming days and weeks, we will step up our support to keep Ukraine in the fight now, increasing pressure on Putin through crippling sanctions and ensuring Ukraine’s Armed Forces have the equipment they need to defend their sovereign territory.
I am clear that the more we do to counter Russia’s aggression, the safer we will keep the British people, our allies and the Euro-Atlantic area.
President Putin has made it clear with his barbaric missile strikes that he is not ready for peace – underscoring the need for the international priority to be to strengthen Ukraine in the fight now.
Despite this, Coalition of the Willing members have been steadfast about their commitment to making sure they are ready to support Ukraine to deter future Russian attacks when the conditions for peace are right.
The ‘Multinational Force Ukraine’ will bolster Ukraine’s ability to return to peace and stability by supporting the regeneration of Ukraine’s own forces. Strong Ukrainian armed forces is the best way to deter Russia – and ensure the country is able to rebuild a thriving economy and attract international investment.
The military plan comes after military chiefs met in Paris on Monday to agree the strategy for the force and coordinate plans with the EU, NATO and the US and more than 200 planners from 30 international partners.
Leaders have now met six times to further planning and political support for the plans. The meeting comes after Ukraine’s friends and partners pledged €40bn of military support for the country in 2025 at the NATO Summit last month.
This year, the UK will contribute £4.5 billion of military support to Ukraine – more than ever before, as well as launching a new landmark partnership share battlefield technology.
That agreement, reached last month, will boost Ukraine’s drone production capacity and link the UK’s defence industry with the cutting-edge technology being developed on the front lines in Ukraine.
