12.04.2025, 23:31

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The next meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" to support Ukraine was held at NATO headquarters on April 10, and the next day, April 11, the meeting in the Ramstein format began there.

On April 10, British Defense Secretary John Healey and French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecorne chaired a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing", which was launched on February 17 when French President Emmanuel Macron called a meeting of European leaders in response to a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

On March 2, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a second leaders' meeting in London with a wider list of attendees.

On March 15, another meeting of the coalition was held in London.

The fourth meeting of the Coalition of the Willing was held in Paris on March 27. At the meeting in Paris, they discussed financial and military support for Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and the EU's 2030 readiness plan.

On April 10, in Brussels, at the meeting of the states of the "Coalition of the Willing", 4 goals for the security forces in Ukraine were outlined.

"Our plans are well developed and we have clear goals for Ukraine. First, to ensure a safe sky. Second, to ensure a safe sea. Third, to maintain peace on the ground. And fourthly, to support the Ukrainian armed forces so that they become the strongest deterrent," said the British Defense Secretary. 

He also explained that the future military mission of the Coalition, the "security assurance force", will work to achieve these goals.

"Our security assurance force for Ukraine will be a decisive and reliable element of the security system that will ensure that any peace established as a result of negotiations will indeed bring what President Trump has promised - a lasting peace for Ukraine," John Healy emphasized.

The Coalition of the Willing is represented by 30 states that aim to establish a lasting just peace in Ukraine by providing it with security guarantees, including by deploying foreign troops in Ukraine.

After the meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing", the head of the British Ministry of Defense emphasized that the future contingent will not perform the function of a peacekeeping force, noting that "this is not a peacekeeping force that will separate the opposing sides on the contact line.

The most effective deterrent to Putin's renewed aggression, the best way to consolidate the ceasefire is the strength of the Ukrainian troops themselves." At the same time, Defense Minister Umerov noted that "The Coalition of the Willing is a new format of long-term support for Ukraine and security in Europe, uniting countries that are ready to work together for a sustainable and lasting peace. It is also a strategic step towards modernizing the security architecture in Europe, which will be an adequate response to the constant threat from Russia." 

There is no clear list of coalition members, but the following countries can be preliminarily included in 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. 

The United Kingdom is considering deploying up to 10,000 troops to Ukraine for up to five years to provide stability and support to Ukrainian forces. The UK and France actively supported the idea of sending troops to Ukraine during the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris on March 27. Now, at a meeting in Brussels, 4 more countries have declared their readiness to send troops to Ukraine. Among them are Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

The next day, a meeting in the Ramstein format began at NATO headquarters. After Mr. Trump's victory in the US presidential election, the chairmanship of the Ramstein Contact Group on Ukraine's defense was taken over first by the United Kingdom, and then by the United Kingdom and Germany together.

Prior to this, the Contact Group meetings were chaired by the United States. On About 40 countries were represented at the April 11 meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's defense in the Ramstein format. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagel participated via video link.

Germany and ten partner countries have created a new Electromagnetic Warfare Capabilities Coalition to strengthen Ukraine's capabilities in countering drones, protecting communications, and identifying and destroying enemy communications, thus protecting civilians and soldiers.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who is expected to remain in his post under the new coalition government in Germany, announced new aid for Ukraine.

"Initially, Germany provided Ukraine with aid worth 4 billion euros for 2025. In addition, the Bundestag has recently cleared the way for another 3 billion this year and another 8 billion by 2029. So, in total, more than 11 billion euros are available," Pistorius said. 

Germany will provide four more IRIS-T air defense systems with 300 guided missiles and 30 missiles for Patriot systems. It also provides 300 reconnaissance drones; 120 man-portable air defense systems; 25 Marder infantry fighting vehicles; 15 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks; 14 artillery systems; 100 ground surveillance radars. Additionally, 100,000 rounds of ammunition. Pistorius also noted that the leaders will "discuss" Ukraine's request to produce missiles under license on site.

In addition, at the meeting, Estonia said it would soon transfer a batch of artillery ammunition and dry rations to Ukraine for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was announced before the meeting in the Ramstein format in Brussels by the head of the Estonian Ministry of Defense Hanno Pevkur. "We will deliver 10 thousand rounds of 155-mm ammunition, as well as 750 thousand packages of food for soldiers.", - said Pevkur. GThe head of the Estonian Defense Ministry has called for increased military and financial assistance to Ukraine.  Lithuania said it intends to allocate 20 million euros to Ukraine for the purchase of ammunition. 

In addition, Ukraine will receive a new military support package worth 450 million pounds (589 million dollars). With of which £350 million will come from the UK, with further funding provided by Norway. This package will include 160 million pounds for the repair and maintenance of vehicles and equipment that the UK has already provided to Ukraine. The new package also includes funding for radar systems, anti-tank mines and hundreds of thousands of drones worth more than £250 million. We are talking about highly maneuverable FPV drones.

All in all, the UK has allocated £4.5 billion in military support for Ukraine through 2025. And the Netherlands is allocating €150 million to strengthen Ukraine's air defense. This was stated by Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans. The Netherlands has consistently supported Ukraine in the war against Russia. Thus, in March this year, the country announced that it would invest €700 million in the production of drones, part of which will be directed to the Ukrainian defense industry. Last December, the Netherlands allocated an additional 22 million euros to strengthen Ukraine's air defense and cyber resilience. 

Norway will provide substantial support to Ukraine. This includes the supply of modern munitions, armored vehicles and other technological solutions for Ukrainian brigades. The second priority is the supply of ammunition. Norway, as an active participant in the Czech Initiative, is ready to allocate significant funds for the purchase of high-quality ammunition. According to the Norwegian government, the amount of assistance to Ukraine in 2025 will be up to 7 billion euros. It is planned to launch new joint projects with Norwegian companies, in particular in the areas of air defense and maritime technology. 

In turn, the President of Ukraine noted that "our priority is air defense, and it is very important that our partners hear us. We have learned to shoot down a lot of Russian terror weapons. We only need to cover the deficit of air defense systems to make our defense of the sky stronger." He emphasized that partners can help in this, as well as intensify the implementation of all agreements reached earlier. 

"2025 is a critical year for Ukraine. Our task as ministers of defense is to put into the hands of Ukrainian soldiers what they need. We must strengthen the deterrence of Russian aggression while continuing to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities," summarized British Defense Secretary John Healey at the Ramstein meeting.

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