UK Defence Secretary: European Union Not Currently Part Of “Coalition Of The Willing” Talks For Ukraine
The United Kingdom’s Defence Secretary, John Healey, has said that the European Union is not currently part of initial talks on the formation of a “coalition of the willing” that would provide a military reassurance force for Ukraine in the event of a lasting ceasefire.
During an April 11 press conference after a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Healey insisted that planning for the coalition was “real, substantial, well advanced”. “The European Union is not part of that planning”, said Healey, noting the importance of the European Union’s financial and diplomatic support for Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full scale invasion.
Healey’s remarks followed comments by the European Union’s foreign policy head Kaja Kallas that an April 10 meeting on the coalition did not result in real progress. “The different member states have different opinions, and the discussions are still ongoing”.
Estonia’s defense ministry described the meeting as an “initial exchange” with representatives of 30 countries, with defense minister Hanno Pevkur saying in an April 11 readout of a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels before the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting that “although the discussion itself is not public, I can say that the planning underway is concrete and realistic, with the aim of both strengthening Ukraine’s position in negotiations and sending a clear signal to Russia – we have Ukraine’s back”.
European government officials that spoke to AFP said only six countries were willing to commit to a troop deployment on April 10. After the meeting, Dutch defense minister Ruben Brekelmans and Swedish defense minister Pal Jonson indicated that the nature, mandate and contingency planning of the mission remained unclear for now, with Breckelmans noting that it was important to have the United States “on board” and to be clear on what the mission would need from the United States.