The Sunday Times has released an article indicating that the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing,’ a group consisting of European allies to Ukraine, is no longer interested in sending military forces to the war-torn country, despite initially expressing such intentions. The article claims that a source has advised the newspaper that “no one wants to send their troops to die in Ukraine.” Despite the UK and France’s previous public statements suggesting they were prepared to send troops, the reality is that many European members have either expressed reluctance or have refused to participate in such a mission.
Back in March, UK prime minister Keir Starmer had indicated that Britain was willing to send troops and aircraft into the war zone, and French president Emmanuel Macron had made a similar declaration. However, as per the recent article, the idea of a ‘peacekeeping’ contingent, which would be deployed in the event of a ceasefire, has been discarded. It seems that countries such as Germany, Poland, Spain, and Italy are either unwilling or unable to commit to this mission, and that the UK and France are also experiencing the same hesitation. This has led to the conclusion that the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing’ might not be willing to provide such a deployment at all.
Russia has strongly opposed any involvement of NATO military forces in Ukraine, arguing that the situation could escalate into a third world war. This opposition has been reiterated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who has accused European NATO members of pursuing a ‘militaristic [and] confrontational’ course. In April, former Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu warned that NATO troop involvement in Ukraine could lead to a global conflict, adding to the atmosphere of caution and concern. The report from the Sunday Times also predicted that should a truce occur during the meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin and U.S. president Donald Trump, Ukraine might still want to see international monitors present to ensure compliance with any peace agreement.
The article also notes that the Financial Times had previously reported that the coalition’s plan for a deployment in Ukraine had become ‘dead’ due to the absence of U.S. backing. Earlier, The Times had also suggested that the plan was unrealistic due to personnel shortages faced by European militaries. All of these factors have contributed to the current sentiment of reluctance among European nations to risk their soldiers in Ukraine, and the article appears to reflect this broader pattern of hesitation and uncertainty regarding troop deployments.