Photo courtesy of AP
MINSK, 18 August (BelTA) – The Coalition of the Willing has confirmed its readiness to deploy a multinational reassurance force in Ukraine once hostilities have ceased, TASS reports.
“They re-emphasised the readiness to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased, and to help secure Ukraine’s skies and seas and regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces,” stated a press release from the office of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The statement was posted following an online meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, held on 17 August under the chairmanship of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
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.”
Keir Starmer said that he had informed his colleagues about his upcoming trip to Washington alongside Vladimir Zelensky to attend a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on 18 August. Planning to join Zelenskyy in the U.S. capital are also European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The brief communiqué of the Coalition of the Willing no longer uses the term “ceasefire” in reference to the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier, the BBC had suggested this could be expected following a shift in Trump’s stance. On 16 August, during a phone call with European leaders, he stated that it would be better to move directly toward a peace agreement rather than establish a ceasefire, which is “often violated”.
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