^See infobox bottom the Coalition'sMembers cabinets formed for timeline of changes since 11 November 2024
^Mission is expected to provide logistical and training experts to help reconstituteAFU. The post-war plan will aim to regenerate Ukraine's land forces, provide air policing in coordination withUkraine Air Force, and expandBlack Sea Task Force naval mine-clearing to restore maritime access.[8] For details see infobox bottomMNF–U mission
^Coordination headquarters, set upon MNF–U deployment, headed by a UK2-stargeneral officer.[7] HQs are on 12-months rotation.[9][10]
^Starmer publicly announced Japan had joined theCoalition of the Willing on 15 March 2025, however Japan has not joined a high-level coalition meeting until 13 August, whenShigeru Ishiba,Prime Minister of Japan joined 7th CoW meeting (leaders) by video conference.[13][14][15] He also attended next two virtual meetings.[16][17]
^As of November 2025[update] participation is not disclosed. List is based on a country's cabinet-level representation in at least three high-level meetings of the coalition(see §)
^US representatives took part in the July 10 (2 US Congressmen and the President's special envoy for Ukraine, PSEU), the 13 August (US vice-president and PSEU) summit meetings, the 20 August military planners consultations. Immideately after the 4 September summit, participants held a call with US president Donald Trump.[18][19][8][11]
^Chaired by the UK,in situ withEmmanuel Macron, president of France (while in the UK on a state visit, first afterBrexit). Other nations leaders as well as U.S. senatorsLindsey Graham (Rep.) andRichard Blumenthal (Dem.), retired Lt.Gen.Keith Kellogg, U.S. president’s special envoy for Ukraine, attended on-line.[18]
^Chaired by Emmanuel Macron, president of the French Republic, inElysee Palace (in situ with president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy,Mette Frederiksen, prime minister of Denmark,António Costa, president of the European Council,Bart De Wever, Belgian prime minister,Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission,Donald Tusk, Polish prime minister,Alexander Stubb, president of Finland,Dick Schoof, Dutch prime minister), and co-chaired by UK prime ministerKeir Starmer virtually, with other participants also joined on-line. The online call, after the summit, was held with US presidentDonald Trump.[27][28][29]
^Both leaders ofEC andEUCO, co-founding institutions of the coalition, were represented in person for the first time.[22]
^As of November 2025[update], each of the bullet points below is a CoW country's government cabinet formed since Trump victory in2024 US Presidential election after opponent concession on 6 November.
Firm Ukraine defense and security commitment politically
Cautious escalation operationally
Thecoalition of the willing is a coalition of 34 countries[33][34] which have pledged strengthened support forUkraine against Russian aggression, going further than the support delivered by theUkraine Defense Contact Group by pledging readiness to also be part of a peacekeeping force deployed on Ukrainian territory, either by providing troops or contributing in other ways. The peacekeeping force is envisaged only to be deployed the moment Ukraine and Russia sign a "comprehensive ceasefire agreement" or "peace deal" to settle the ongoingRusso-Ukrainian War.[35] The initiative, led by the United Kingdom and France, was announced by British Prime MinisterSir Keir Starmer on 2 March 2025, following the2025 London Summit on Ukraine under the motto "securing our future".[36]
The statedaim of the initiative is to facilitate thepeace negotiation attempts launched and mediated by the United States between Ukraine and Russia in February 2025, by helping to build up strong enoughsecurity guarantees for Ukraine to ensure that a potential reached ceasefire or peace deal would be lasting.[37] Besides serving the role as building up a potential peacekeeping force, the coalition have also expressed readiness to increase military support for Ukraine and strengthen economic sanctions against Russia, in the event that the ongoing negotiations for a "comprehensive ceasefire" or "peace deal" would fail. As of 20 March 2025, the exact shape and function of the coalition was described as still being subject to ongoing planning, but moved into an "operational phase".[38][39]
According to a report fromLe Monde, in late November 2024 Paris and London were discussing taking the lead in a coalition to be deployed in Ukraine, on terms not then defined. This was in light of Trump's return to theWhite House and the prospect of American disengagement from Kyiv.[41] The option of sending "troops" to Ukraine, the debate on whichFrench PresidentEmmanuel Macron had launched at a meeting of Kyiv's allies in Paris in February 2024, was strongly opposed by some European countries, led byGermany. This scenario had not been buried however and was revived during the visit ofBritish Prime Minister, Keir Starmer to France for the 11 NovemberArmistice Day ceremonies.[41] On 1 March 2025, Czech presidentPetr Pavel made a social media post onX, calling for the formation of acoalition of the willing to end theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[42]
Designing MNF-U structural components and Ukraine's postwar security guarantees
Footnotes
^This date is pending the military completion offull operational capability (FOC) assessment for the Combined Joint Headquarters (CJHQ). This requires the troop contributing nations to successfully integrate their command, control and communication systems (C3) and certify their readiness levels. As of November 2025[update],see §: to be confirmed
2025
Building upon these bilateral discussions aiming at creating a hard core of allies in Europe focused on Ukraine and wider European security, Keir Starmer hosted, on 2 March 2025, the2025 London Summit on Ukraine with Emmanuel Macron,Ukrainian presidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy and sixteen other world leaders, in order to coordinate support for Ukraine. Starmer characterised the meeting as addressing a "once-in-a-generation moment" for European security, stating that the time had come for decisive action rather than continued deliberation, and officially announced Britain and France would lead a European "coalition of the willing" to provide security guarantees to Ukraine and enable peace negotiations with Russia.[36][45] The announcement came two days after ameeting between Zelenskyy and United States PresidentDonald Trump withVice PresidentJD Vance at the White House on 28 February.[46][47]
On 11 March 2025, the military chiefs of staff of around 30 European andCommonwealth nations, as well asJapan, met in Paris for talks on the creation of an international security force for Ukraine to maintain peace should a ceasefire come into effect.[48][49]
On 15 March, Starmer held a virtual meeting with leaders from European and Commonwealth nations to assemble the "coalition of the willing" to consider options for a "reassurance force" to be deployed within Ukraine to deter renewed Russian attacks against the country should a ceasefire be agreed.[50] The meeting gathered the leaders of 26 countries, including several European countries, Ukraine, Turkey, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, as well as representatives from theEuropean Commission andNATO;[51] and was addressed by the Prime Minister of the United KingdomKeir Starmer as well as French president Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary GeneralMark Rutte.[52]
On 17 March 2025, a spokesman of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom stated the coalition was expected to grow to "more than 30 countries", when military chiefs from the willing countries would be meeting, once again, on 20 March 2025 to discuss the next "operational phase" in protecting Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force – if a deal can be agreed with Russia. The spokesman added: "The contribution capabilities will vary, but this will be a significant force, with a significant number of countries providing troops and a larger group [of countries] contributing in other ways."[53]
On 20 March 2025, the exact shape and function of the coalition was described as still being subject to ongoing planning, but moved into an "operational phase" marked by the gathering of a meeting of military officials from 31 countries. No final decisions were announced after the meeting, but some media reported the participants had contemplated that the coalition could have two different designs depending on whether or not it should be deployed to defend a ceasefire agreement or a peace deal.[54][55]
Five military sub-planning groups (land, sea, air, regeneration and reconstruction) will reconvene the military officials from the 31 countries to continue discussions across three intensive planning days from 24–26 March at theNorthwood Headquarters in England.[56][57]
The coalition then met again for a third high-level summit in Paris on 27 March 2025, with an agenda to finalise the plans on how the coalition shall be designed and deployed as a military force to ensure that a potential ceasefire will be lasting for Ukraine.[58][59] The agenda of the summit included drafting and debating a peace treaty proposal written by the coalition, drafting and debating how the coalition can secure a "complete ceasefire" acceptable to Ukraine, bolsteraid to Ukraine (with each participating country expected to outline what it is prepared to do), and agreeing on a plan for providing long-term support for theUkrainian army.[60] The outcome of the meeting was unanimous agreement that:[61]
No sanctions against Russia could be lifted as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement.
A potential sanctions relief should instead be conditioned on reaching a peace deal.
Defense chiefs from Ukraine, France and UK should soon meet in Ukraine to conduct the next stage of the detailed planning for setting up a potentialreassurance force (determining the number of soldiers and type of military equipment required to be deployed after a reached peace deal, in order to deter and respond to a subsequently potential renewed Russian aggression).
On 24 April 2025,The Times reported that British officials considered deploying a ground force to defend Ukraine too risky and that the plan was likely to be abandoned, with military trainers deployed to Western Ukraine instead.[62] On 29 April 2025, it reported that Europe "would struggle to put 25,000 troops on the ground in Ukraine". Lithuania's defense ministerDovile Sakaliene reportedly said "Russia has 800,000 [troops]. Let me tell you this, if we can't even raise 64,000 that doesn't look weak — itis weak."[63]On 17 July 2025, UK defence secretaryJohn Healey provided an update to the House of Commons on the war in Ukraine revealing command structure, components, and supposed name of the coalition force - Multinational Force Ukraine.[7] The name was confirmed on 17 August in the coalition statement.[8] Joined by NATO military chiefs between 19 and 21 August, coalition planners held virtual meetings on Ukraine with focus on security guarantees design.[11]
In addition to summits, the coalition has convened its second ministerial (3 September, NATO HQ, Brussels) and first announced directors-level (4 November, Madrid) meetings.[32] The 25 November virtual meeting was held amidst discussions on the peace plan draft.[64][31] France and the UK subsequently announced the creation of a joint working group to define the final contributions, mandates, and security guarantees of the force.[65]
High-level meetings
Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris, France - September 2025
The coalition so far held the following number of high-level meetings, in order to help facilitate thepeace negotiation attempts aiming to reach a "comprehensive ceasefire agreement" or "peace deal" to settle the ongoingRusso-Ukrainian War.[66]
Theraison d'être of the initiative was created by thepeace negotiation attempts launched and mediated by the United States between Ukraine and Russia in February 2025, as those negotiations initially did not present or offer Ukraine any substantial security guarantees to defend a potentially reached peace deal; while it was acknowledged that in order to ensure that a potential peace would be lasting for Ukraine then some strongersecurity guarantees than the pre-existing1994 Budapest Memorandum would be needed, and at the same time became clear that the previously considered proposal to offer Ukraine an immediate membership ofNATO as a security guarantee could not be realised. Besides serving the role as building up a potential peacekeeping force, the coalition also expressed readiness to increase military support for Ukraine and strengthen economic sanctions against Russia, in the event that the ongoing negotiations for a "comprehensive ceasefire" or "peace deal" would fail.
Four point-plan
In a press conference that followed the London summit, Starmer outlined four key components of the coalition's approach:[45][46]
Commitment to maintaining the flow of military aid to Ukraine while increasing economic pressure on Russia throughsanctions and other measures.
Affirming that any lasting peace agreement must ensure the sovereignty and security of Ukraine, with Ukraine being present at all peace negotiations.
Pledging to enhance Ukraine'sdefensive military capabilities following any peace deal to deter potential future invasions.
Development of a "coalition of the willing" consisting of multiple countries prepared to defend the terms of any peace agreement and guarantee Ukraine's security afterwards.
Membership
The group consists largely of European andCommonwealth countries (see infoboxAllies).[80]Australia was not represented at the 10 April 2025 meeting(see §).
Starmer publicly announced Japan had joined theCoalition of the Willing on 15 March 2025, however Japan did not joined a high-level coalition meeting until 13 August, whenShigeru Ishiba,Prime Minister of Japan joined the 7th CoW meeting (leaders) by video conference.[13][14][15] He also attended the next two virtual meetings.[16][17]
Despite being represented in the virtual meeting on 15 March, and the 10 May meeting, New Zealand was not represented in subsequent 27 March and 10 April meetings.[81][82]
ThePeople's Republic of China declared willingness to take part in Ukraine's post-war reconstruction on 18 March,[83] and according to the German newspaperDie Welt, China also contemplated joining theCoalition of the willing if being invited on 22 March.[84] TheChinese Foreign Ministry later officially denied reports that China could ever join the coalition, as partaking in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine spearheaded by European leaders was viewed to conflict with its policy of neutrality in Russo-Ukrainian War.[85]
As of November 2025[update],Albania has satisfied the standard for membership in the Coalition of the Willing by confirming three cabinet-level participations in the Coalition summits, with the total number of committed countries at 34 to be confirmed in the meetings to follow.
Albania's Cabinet-Level Participation in CoW Meetings
As part of the announcement, British Prime Minister Starmer committed£1.6 billion (US$2 billion) inUK export finances to purchase more than 5,000 air defence missiles for Ukraine.[89] The missiles will be manufactured inBelfast in Northern Ireland.[89] This complemented a previously announced £2.2 billion loan formilitary aid to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets.[90][91]
Starmer emphasised that European countries would need to take primary responsibility for the initiative and "do the heavy lifting" and that the agreement would require US backing and Russian involvement. He indicated that the United Kingdom would back its security commitments with "boots on the ground, and planes in the air", regarding the possibility of UK and EU direct military presence in Ukraine to carry out apeace enforcement operation.[46]
Secretary General of NATOMark Rutte echoed this sentiment, noting that the meeting demonstrated European countries "stepping up" to ensure Ukraine has the resources necessary to "stay in the fight as long as it has to continue."[46]
Right after the meeting, Finland's presidentAlexander Stubb said that Norway and Finland are working in support of the drafting of the UK-France-Ukraine peace plan. In addition, he said that the role of the countries that are Russia's neighbours will be different from providing peacekeeping troops.[92]
On 30 April 2025, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal offered to contribute "a company-sized unit (50 to 250 soldiers), including combat troops, instructors, and staff officers" as part of the "coalition of the willing".[93] Portugal has pledged €226 million towards the supply of weapons and military equipment, in addition to training for pilots and drone operators.[94] Denmark has invested in sustainable indigenous Ukrainian production of equipment (the Danish model), made possible through the support of the European Union.[95]
International law and peace enforcement framework for Ukraine
The legal architecture for the coalition’speacekeeping mission is evolving inthe shadow ofUN precedent andinternational law.[96][97] Deployment is to occur only with a comprehensive, signedceasefire or peace deal, respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty and the norms prohibiting intervention in active conflicts without host-country consent. Rules of engagement, status of forces, and chain of command are being negotiated in detail, taking lessons from previous 'coalitions of the willing'.[b][44]
As of October 2025[update], lack of specific 'reassurance force in Ukraine' legal analysis highlights the risks of ambiguity in force mandate, especially in the context of 'robustpeace enforcement' (as opposed to traditional peacekeeping).[99][100][101]
MNF-U is a Coalition'sstabilization and peacekeeping future force with 34 nation-contributors, formalized in October 2025 by France and the United Kingdom. Conceived as a rapid deployment force in response to theceasefire in Russo‑Ukrainian War, if comprehensively agreed, it is to operate with English as its working language and under extended multinational agreements. Coalition’s expected mandate to support a comprehensive ceasefire and post-war stabilization in Ukraine includesmilitary logistics, training, force generation, navalmine‑clearing, andair policing.[40]
Its plannedcommand structure is divided between a joint command headquarters in Paris and a coordination headquarters in Kyiv, with a French three‑star commander in Paris and a British two‑star deputy in Kyiv. As of November 2025[update], MNF‑U remains in the planning phase, with deployment to follow the cessation of hostilities.[102] The MNF-U's structure, mandate, and legitimacy have quickly become points of discussion not only among governments but also within the media and academic communities across Europe and beyond.[103]
Multinational Force–Ukraine – Proposed force for peace enforcementPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Notes
^Five sub-planning groups (land, sea, air, regeneration, and reconstruction)[7]
^As of November 2025[update], the main discussion points in academia on security studies are:
Mandate ambiguity for a reassurance force in Ukraine
Peacekeeping versus peace enforcement
-Consent and sovereignty-Authority to use force
Current proposals and political signals shaping the mandate
-Coalition commitments: as of early September 2025, 26 countries publicly committed to a reassurance force contingent on a ceasefire or peace deal, signaling breadth of political support but not resolving the legal basis or full operational scope;[32] -Force composition and options-Willing contributors-Security guarantees landscape
Rules of engagement, status of forces, and chain of command
-Rules of engagement (ROE)-Status of forces agreements (SOFAs)-Command and control (2C)
Managing the peace enforcement versus peacekeeping tension
-Mandate drafting -Consent architecture: to anchor the mission in Ukraine’s formal invitation and parliamentary authorization (According to Ukraine's Prime Minister’s Office statement on 10 July 2025, Ukraine is ready to issue an invitation to the force and enter into formal agreements with participating nations as and when necessary), complemented by the coalition parliamentary approvals and harmonized national caveats annexed to the mandate. IfUNSC authorization is infeasible, transparency and legality via public instruments, SOFAs, and ROE publication (to the extent possible) bolster legitimacy;[98]-Escalation ladders and accountability
^Allison, George (6 September 2025)."UK to lead headquarters of Multinational Force Ukraine".UK Defence Journal. Retrieved27 October 2025.The intent is for the three star command of the Multinational Force Ukraine to remain joint between UK and France [after HQ rotation from Paris to London]. This will be reviewed once the detail of any ceasefire is known
^abcdefgDefence Secretary statement on war in Ukraine (Speech).Defence Secretary,John Healey MP, provided an update to the House of Commons on the war in Ukraine. 17 July 2025. Retrieved19 July 2025 – via GOV.uk.More than 200 military planners from 30 nations have worked intensively for weeks, with Ukraine and including reconnaissance in Ukraine, led by UK personnel. [...] a future Multinational Force for Ukraine [...] will include a 3-star multi-national command headquarters in Paris, rotating to London after 12 months
^abcdPrime Minister's Office; Starmer, Keir (17 August 2025)."Statement of the Co-chairs of the Coalition of the Willing: 17 August 2025" (Press release). Retrieved18 August 2025 – via GOV.uk.The leaders also commended President Trump's commitment to providing security guarantees to Ukraine, in which the Coalition of the Willing will play a vital role through the Multinational Force Ukraine, among other measures.
Jorge Liboreiro (25 November 2025)."Peace talks: France and UK insist on multinational force for post-war Ukraine".MSN. Retrieved26 November 2025.At the end of the gathering, which saw 35 countries and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio join online, Macron announced a "working group" would be set up to finalise the security guarantees and the contributions of each participant.
^Sabbagh, Dan (20 October 2025)."UK peace force for Ukraine would cost 'well over £100m', says defence secretary".The Guardian. Retrieved28 October 2025.But althoughHealey said that Starmer had committed to "UK boots on the ground", land forces will be limited to logistics, armament and training specialists to help Ukraine's army protect the country from future attack. The force would "secure the skies and seas, and train Ukrainian forces to defend their nation", Healey said in a speech at theMansion House, London.
^Michael Birnbaum; Robyn Dixon; Siobhán O'Grady; Francesca Ebel; Catherine Belton (26 November 2025)."Trump pushes Ukraine, Russia on peace deal, but key issues are unresolved".The Washington Post. Archived fromthe original on 26 November 2025.[...]after a meeting of leaders of many of the countries that back Ukraine, along with Zelensky and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Macron said that while Europeans supported peace, "several participants in our meeting also reported on their own direct exchanges with the Russians, including with President Putin. It is now clear that Russia has no intention of agreeing to a ceasefire."
^Allison, George (6 September 2025)."UK to lead headquarters of Multinational Force Ukraine".UK Defence Journal. Retrieved27 October 2025.The intent is for the three star command of the Multinational Force Ukraine to remain joint between UK and France [after HQ rotation from Paris to London]. This will be reviewed once the detail of any ceasefire is known.
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