The United Kingdom and France are working together to form a “Coalition of the Willing” to craft a peace plan for Ukraine, which they intend to present to President Donald Trump. The move comes as both European nations seek to address the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia and anticipate the potential shift in U.S. foreign policy under Trump’s leadership. Western leaders hope to revive a peace deal with tensions rising between the U.S. and Ukraine.
On Sunday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the UK and France are prepared to send troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers. However, other European nations, including Italy, Germany, and Poland, have rejected the proposal.
“In other words, we've got to find those countries in Europe that are prepared to be a bit more forward-leaning," Starmer told BBC Television. “The UK and France are the most advanced on the thinking of this and that is why President Macron and I are working on this plan, which we will then discuss with the U.S.”
Starmer emphasized the need for European countries to take a more proactive approach.
“I’m not criticizing anyone here, but rather than move at the pace of every single member, every single country in Europe, which would, in the end, be quite a slow pace, I do think we’ve got to probably get to a coalition of the willing now,” he continued.
The prime minister spoke with Trump on Saturday after his tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday. Starmer argued that a peace deal in Ukraine could only succeed if the United States provided a security guarantee to support a potential European peacekeeping force.
“I've always been clear that that is going to need a U.S. backstop because I don't think it would be a guarantee without it," Starmer said.
At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron insisted that Europe should be included in the negotiations.
“If the United States settled a ceasefire solely with Russia, it would breach international law. For a permanent member of the UN Security Council, that would be a profound break,” Macron reportedly said. “If they settled an accord with Russia without the Europeans at the table … that would be a rupture at the heart of the Atlantic alliance… We are in favor of peace but not of a capitulation that takes place against the backdrop of a rout or abandonment of the Ukrainians.”