Coalition of the Willing summit underway in Paris: who joined and what is on agenda

Espreso correspondents reported the information.

According to Sky News, world leaders are already arriving at the summit. Among them are President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as well as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Zelenskyy reportedly had a brief meeting with Macron and Starmer before the summit.

Who is participating in the event?

The event is attended by the presidents of Ukraine, France, Lithuania, Finland, Cyprus, acting the President of Romania, the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, the Vice President of Turkey, the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, and the NATO Secretary General. Austria, Australia, and Canada are represented at the ambassadorial level.

Zelenskyy: We need one clear plan

“Our Coalition of the Willing and Capable Partners is already functioning – both politically and militarily. I am grateful to France, the United Kingdom, and everyone involved for their sincere desire to help us build long-term security. And now, during this meeting, in the course of future military negotiations, and in all our discussions here in Europe and with other partners, including the United States, we must answer some very specific questions,” Zelenskyy said.
He listed these questions:
    •    Which countries will be involved on the ground, in the air, and at sea in Ukraine?
    •    Where exactly will these forces be stationed?
    •    What will be the size and structure of these forces?
    •    What will their response procedures be in the event of a threat?
    •    And when will our coalition actually deploy forces in Ukraine – when a ceasefire begins, or when the war is fully over and a settlement has been reached?
“We need one clear plan – a plan that we all agree on and begin implementing, based on the options and developments that have already been discussed with you and are available to you. We want to invite a small group of your representatives to Ukraine to jointly develop this plan,” the president concluded.

What is the agenda?

According to the website of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, the participants will discuss the continuation of steadfast support for Ukraine, as well as the strengthening of the Ukrainian army and defense industry, which are among the main guarantees of the country's security.

They will also focus on all issues related to the peace negotiation process and the mechanisms for implementing the first steps towards a ceasefire.

The leaders will also discuss the prospect of deploying a guarantee force in Ukraine as part of a future peace settlement with the support of the United States.

Starmer spoke with Rutte before the start of the summit

Before the start of the Coalition of the Willing summit, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, according to Sky News, citing a spokesperson for the UK government.
“They discussed their ongoing support for Ukraine, agreeing that Europe must do everything possible to help Ukraine continue its fight and maintain pressure on Putin. Both acknowledged the important role of the United States in paving the way toward a ceasefire agreement and reaffirmed that Europe is ready to support a strong and lasting peace when it comes. The Prime Minister reiterated his unwavering commitment to NATO as the cornerstone of our security,” the spokesperson said.

Macron spoke with Trump ahead of the summit

According to Le Monde and France24, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of the Coalition of the Willing summit, in which the United States is not participating.
The conversation reportedly took place after Macron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the previous day, March 26.
As noted by Sky News, the French president spoke with his American counterpart about the need to strengthen support for Ukraine.

What is the Coalition of the Willing, and who are its members?

The Coalition of the Willing is a group of countries committed to supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia and helping establish peace in the region. Most members have expressed their willingness to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine or, at the very least, have suggested it as an option. The creation of the coalition was announced by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer following the summit of 18 world leaders in London on March 2, 2025.

The initiative aims to strengthen European support for Ukraine, particularly in light of the uncertainty surrounding U.S. policy, and to lay the groundwork for a lasting peaceful resolution to the Russian-Ukrainian war. The name of the coalition was coined by Czech President Petr Pavel, who, before the London summit, called for the formation of a "broad coalition of those willing" to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

On March 11, 2025, representatives from the security services of 30 countries gathered in Paris to discuss the creation of an international security force for Ukraine, aimed at maintaining peace if a ceasefire agreement comes into effect.

On March 15, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a virtual meeting with leaders from Europe and the Commonwealth to assemble the “coalition of the willing” and explore options for a "security force" that could be deployed in Ukraine to deter renewed Russian attacks if a ceasefire agreement is reached. Following the meeting, Starmer emphasized that the coalition had rejected Putin's “yes, but” approach to a ceasefire in Ukraine.

The initiative is led by the United Kingdom and France, with the coalition of the willing also including other EU countries, the European Union itself, and states that are not members of either NATO or the European Union. While there is no official list of coalition members, the following countries can be preliminarily identified as part of the coalition: France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia), the Netherlands, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Spain, Denmark, Romania, Norway, Finland, Turkey, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others.

On March 26, 2025, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in France for a visit. He met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.