Faced with a weakening frontline and fading U.S. military support, Ukraine recognizes that its war with Russia must come to an end.
To secure an end to the conflict while retaining its hold on power, the current regime is demanding security guarantees, framing the request as essential to preserving the sovereignty of Ukraine.
Some European powers, particularly the UK and France, are backing Zelensky’s demand, with both nations expressing willingness to deploy troops in Ukraine as part of any security guarantee package.
The problem is that both are NATO members, so their deployments would inevitably be viewed as NATO deployments. Under Article 5 of NATO’s charter, such contingents would carry the full backing of the alliance—something Russia finds completely unacceptable.
Russian officials have repeatedly argued that Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO and the hosting of NATO exercises on its soil were among the reasons Moscow was “forced” to launch the Special Military Operation (SMO).
Recently, at the plenary session of the EEF, President Putin remarked: “As for the possible contingents of military personnel in Ukraine… If decisions are reached that will lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply do not see any point in their presence on Ukrainian territory. That’s all. Because if these agreements are reached, no one doubts that Russia will fully comply with them.”
Coalition Of The Willing
Ignoring Moscow’s position, the UK and France are pressing ahead with their proposal to provide security guarantees through troop deployments.
To project that these forces would not be “NATO troops,” they convened a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing in Paris on September 4, 2025.
The group, comprising 26 European nations, pledged postwar security guarantees—including possible troop deployments—to deter future aggression and facilitate a sustainable peace settlement.
The summit was co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Leaders from Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland, and Denmark attended, along with EU officials and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
U.S. President Donald Trump later interacted with the European leaders remotely. The full list of participating countries has not yet been released.
The Wall Street Journal, citing a European diplomat, reported that the Coalition is considering a deployment of around 10,000 troops in Ukraine, based on input from U.S. military planners.
Bloomberg, citing a separate source, reported that participants agreed on the goal of making Ukraine a “porcupine”—a state so well-armed after the conflict that it could never again become an “object of military aggression.”
Additionally, coalition fighter aircraft would patrol Ukrainian airspace from bases in member states, rather than from within Ukraine itself.
Trump’s Views
During his interaction following the Paris summit, President Donald Trump is widely reported to have told the Coalition of the Willing to focus on economic measures to stifle Moscow’s ability to continue the war.
He suggested that EU leaders stop purchasing Russian oil and impose economic sanctions on China for supporting Russia’s war efforts.
He reiterated that the conflict was not solely America’s responsibility and that Europe needed to take greater action.
Trump reportedly agreed that the United States and Europe can jointly prepare additional sanctions against the Russian Federation, including secondary sanctions against other countries.
Notably, he made no firm U.S. commitments to impose new sanctions against Russia.
In the past, Trump has indicated that he would support European troop deployments in Ukraine as part of security guarantees.
Intriguingly, RIA Novosti reported that Japanese government Secretary General Yoshimasa Hayashi clarified during a press conference that Japan is not among the 26 countries that have pledged to deploy troops after a ceasefire.
It’s possible that the Coalition of the Willing is contemplating deploying troops from non-NATO countries, besides the British and French troops.
Spirit Willing, But Flesh Weak?
Despite the high-profile posturing, the Coalition of the Willing appears to be facing strong headwinds. Most importantly, its plans have yet to be endorsed by Donald Trump. More than just endorsement, the Coalition will require firm security guarantees from the U.S. before it is in any position to provide guarantees to Ukraine.
It is ironic that the Coalition itself needs U.S. security guarantees before it can extend any to Ukraine. No nation within the bloc is likely to risk deploying troops against Russian forces without ironclad assurances that U.S. forces will intervene if their contingents come under attack.
In reality, the Coalition may well be a ruse to draw the U.S. more deeply into the Ukraine conflict—and Trump appears to understand this perfectly.
During his interaction with summit leaders, he suggested that Europe should rely on its economic muscle to maintain peace, rather than its military strength.
That, of course, raises the question of how much military strength Europe truly has—and whether any amount of “flexing” would deter Russia.
Closing The Gap Between U.S. & Russian Perceptions
In an interview with Sputnik, Russian presidential aide Anton Kobyakov said the Americans are edging closer to accepting President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to improve bilateral relations with Russia before attempting to resolve wider global issues.
“It seems to me that Americans are close to accepting our president’s proposal to change the paradigm—first improve relations with Russia, and then talk about all the pressing issues. And President Trump has started moving down this path,” Kobyakov said on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
Under these circumstances, it is far from certain that the Coalition of the Willing will actually begin deploying troops in Ukraine.
- Vijainder K Thakur is a retired IAF Jaguar pilot, author, software architect, entrepreneur, and military analyst.
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