Virtual Conference of ‘Coalition of the Willing’ brings together 30 Western Leaders
Venkat Raman
Auckland, March 16, 2025
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has reiterated New Zealand’s support for Ukraine, hoping that the looming war will end soon.
Participating in a Virtual Meeting before leaving for India on his first State Visit, Mr Luxon tweeted on X, “New Zealand stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. Our discussion included how to support Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
Mr Luxon said that the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ phone call was arranged by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and was attended by, among others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
https://x.com/chrisluxonmp/status/1900885870422691939
Among the participants were Leaders and/or Foreign/Defence Ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Austria, Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and the NATO.
Sir Keir later said that the efforts of the Coalition of the Willing had the “support of other countries, including Japan,” but did not name the other countries.
Three Main Goals
The meeting followed a significant breakthrough in peace negotiations, where Mr Zelenskyy agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by US President Donald Trump, contingent on Russia’s agreement.
Sir Keir said that the Russia-Ukraine Conflict is at a critical juncture and that there is a need for concrete commitments from all participating countries to support Ukraine’s defence and security.
“Military planning to protect a potential Ukraine ceasefire is moving to an ‘operational phase’ and there must be robust plans in place to swing in behind a peace deal and guarantee Ukraine’s future security,” he said after the Virtual Meeting.
The Virtual Meeting reportedly discussed three main goals: Strengthening Ukraine, Increasing the Coalition’s readiness to protect the Peace Agreement, and Maintaining pressure on Russia.
One of the key points of discussion was the implementation of robust security arrangements to ensure Ukraine’s long-term defence capabilities.
According to reports, the Leaders agreed that Ukraine must be able to defend itself and deter future aggression from Russia. To achieve this, they will convene a meeting of military planners in the UK to develop practical plans for supporting Ukraine’s future security.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he agreed with the idea but set a number of pre-conditions for peace. But Mr Zelenskyy said, “active pressure is needed, not just talks.”
Zelenskyy’s demands
His view was that the world must understand that Russia is the only obstacle preventing peace.
“The path to peace must begin unconditionally. If Russia does not want this, then strong pressure must be applied until they do. Moscow understands one language,” Mr Zelenskyy said and urged the European countries to produce their own weapons as soon as possible and to talk to the US and its President Donald Trump to reach a deal more quickly through “full sanctions, strong pressure, and forcing Russia to make peace.”
Sir Kier seemed to agree with Mr Zelenskyy when he said, “The world needs actions; not empty words and conditions,” after the Video Call.
“Kremlin’s dithering and delay over the ceasefire proposal and its continued attacks on Ukraine run entirely counter to President Putin’s stated desire for peace,” he said.
Sir Kier said that sooner or later, Mr Putin will have to come to the table.
“So, this is the moment, let the guns fall silent, let the barbaric attacks on Ukraine, once and for all, stop and agree to a ceasefire now. Let us be clear about why this is so important; Russia’s appetite for conflict and chaos undermines our security back here at home. It drives up the cost of living. It drives up energy costs. So this matters deeply to the United Kingdom. That is why now is the time to engage in discussions on a mechanism to manage and monitor a full ceasefire and agree to serious negotiations towards not just a pause but a lasting peace, backed by strong security arrangements through our Coalition of the Willing. And we will not sit back and wait for Putin to act, instead, we will push forward,” he said.
Sir Keir said that the Leaders attending the Virtual Meeting on March 15 agreed that if Mr Putin refused an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” they would need to “ratchet up pressure…to convince him to come to the negotiating table.
“To deliver this, we will accelerate our military support, tighten our sanctions on Russia’s revenues, and continue to explore all lawful routes to ensure that Russia pays for the damage it has done to Ukraine,” he said.
Deploying Peacekeepers
The Coalition of the Willing also discussed the possibility of deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. While France and the UK had previously proposed this idea, they acknowledged that it would be challenging to implement without U.S. support.
The Leaders emphasised the need for strong monitoring arrangements to ensure compliance with any Ceasefire Agreement.
In addition to military support, the Leaders agreed to tighten sanctions on Russia to weaken its war machine and increase pressure on President Putin. They explored various lawful routes to ensure that Russia pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. The Coalition committed to accelerating military support for Ukraine and continuing to provide humanitarian aid.
Sir Keir also addressed the importance of maintaining unity among the coalition members. He urged his counterparts to make concrete commitments to support Ukraine and implement the peace plan proposed by President Trump. The leaders agreed to continue their discussions in the coming days to ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Background to the Coalition
Writing for BBC News, Senior Journalist Mallory Moench said that Sir Keir introduced the idea of a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ to defend a ceasefire earlier this month, and said on March 15, 2025 it had grown and included backing from Japan and others.
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“The Prime Minister has previously said that he is ‘ready and willing’ to put UK troops in Ukraine to help guarantee its security as part of a peace deal. He has called on other European countries to commit to concrete security guarantees and said a US ‘backstop’ is needed.
“In a news conference after the Summit, Mr Zelenskyy said that there was a need for some form of ‘boots on the ground’ after the ceasefire, although he admitted some were ‘sceptical.’ Finnish President Alexander Stubb told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg after the Summit that it is ‘still too early’ to talk about putting troops on the ground as part of any security guarantee.
“Stubb said Finland was willing to be part of efforts to defend a peace deal but said: It is too early to talk about boots on the ground because we don’t have a ceasefire, we don’t have a peace process. Once we have a clear plan, we start making the commitments. He said that there were “anywhere from Zero to 50 different ways they can help out, boots on the ground is only one way. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.”
