European countries, led by efforts from France and the UK, are trying to set up ways to boost Ukraine’s defence and help the country in the future, even in the case of a truce with Russia, as the US under Donald Trump seems to duck out from playing a major support role.
The call for European support came at the third meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” of European countries that still want to help Ukraine. The meeting in Paris was ushered by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and it included around 30 countries, including Ukraine. They say that countries agreed to send more help to have Ukraine as the strongest negotiation point in the future. France already committed €2 billion in new military aid, including warplanes and missiles.
The joint Franco-British alliance on the issue will also see a joint military delegation visiting Ukraine to assess the army’s shape in the long term. In general, the two countries are pushing for a comprehensive “reassurance force” that will have troops in Ukraine as deterrence against Russia’s possible aggression.
This idea has yet to win widespread approval, with the option of bolstering NATO countries bordering Ukraine being more feasible in the short term. Meanwhile, Ukraine should set up its own permanent deterrence, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen telling reporters that Ukraine should plan for a permanent army of 500,000 and one million.
Macron seems to understand that his proposal is not accepted by everyone and said after the summit that “it was not unanimous today, as we all know – and we don’t need unanimity.” He is sure that European countries will eventually come together to agree on the idea, even if the US is unwilling to contribute.
The Trump administration has not shown signs of engaging on the issue. Some European countries are weary of moving without US or international mandate and worry about lack of manpower and materials, plus the possibility of facing Russia directly. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, considered one of the closest European leaders to Trump, said that future meetings on the issue should include the US. At the same time, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala noted that “the idea still is that, if we debate something like that in Europe, there should be some kind of a safeguard from the United States.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemed content with the efforts of European plans for the war and the aftermath, even though he recognised the challenges, noting that there are few answers as to how the proposed European contingent will shape in the immediate future. However, he also said that “it’s obvious that the strength and size of the Ukrainian army will always be a key guarantee of our security. So we need to build everything around that.”
