UK, France draft backup plan if U.S. ends Ukraine support - media

The Telegraph reported the information.

According to sources, during a closed-door meeting in The Hague, representatives from London and Paris agreed to shift focus: instead of supporting a potential ceasefire, they would concentrate on long-term defense of Ukraine against Russian aggression, even without Washington’s involvement.

The outlet noted that among Ukraine’s European partners, there is real concern that U.S. President Donald Trump might act as a mediator but fail to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

“Let’s get real and admit the U.S. will never be on board,” said a Western official, describing the grim mood at the meeting in The Hague.

A European diplomat suggested that, in such a scenario, the U.S. would likely focus only on selective support, such as providing intelligence, while other allies would have to shoulder most of the burden.

“We also agreed on the need to step up economic pressure on Russia,” he added, commenting on the meeting.

European countries also agreed to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the NATO summit in The Hague next month. His participation had previously been in doubt following NATO’s earlier hesitation.

The Coalition of the willing will likely continue to publicly support Trump’s peace efforts at the request of Ukrainian officials, who fear that otherwise the U.S. leader may cut off weapons supplies and intelligence sharing.

As the outlet concluded, members of the coalition are expected to maintain public backing for U.S. diplomatic initiatives, partly due to concerns in Kyiv that criticizing Washington’s approach could halt critical military and intelligence support.

• On May 10, 2025, a meeting of the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing took place in Kyiv. As a result, the participants supported an unconditional and complete ceasefire in Ukraine for 30 days, set to begin on May 12. However, Russia ultimately did not agree to the proposal.