Coalition of the Willing, Newsletter

Key diary dates

• Monday 7 April – EU trade ministers meet in Luxembourg to discuss US tariffs and China.

• Wednesday 9 April – European Commission to present AI Continent action plan.

• Friday 11 April – Defence ministers from the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ convene at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

In spotlight

Defence ministers from the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” are meeting on Thursday at NATO headquarters.

The meeting, hosted by the United Kingdom and France, will see NATO participating only in an “advisory capacity”, and “not necessarily offering anything to the coalition of the willing,” according to a NATO official.

Allied countries remain deeply divided over the idea of sending troops to Ukraine, but the UK and France are pushing to finalise a plan that would bolster military support and contribute a reassurance force if, or when, a peace deal is reached.

European foreign ministers last week reiterated that Ukraine needs a long-lasting peace — one that can only be secured through strength.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told reporters in Brussels that achieving this would require first building a strong Ukrainian army, and then ensuring the military capacity is in place for when peace is achieved.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is currently working out the details of the cooperation initiative involving up to 30 delegations, led by France and the UK.

Last week, Zelenskyy outlined three potential missions for allied countries: deploying ground troops, using air power to patrol Ukraine’s skies, or sending naval forces to monitor the Black Sea.

Meanwhile, the US (which is not expected to join the meeting) is attempting to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to end the three-year war, while also shifting its strategic focus toward security in the Indo-Pacific region. 

European allies are hoping for an orderly withdrawal of US troops from the continent (which stands at 100,000), although no concrete timetable or deadlines have been presented.

According to various media reports, the US may be restructuring its forces in Europe — and could even relinquish its role as head of NATO forces on the continent by merging existing commands.

On Friday, NATO will also host a meeting of the German- and UK-led Contact Group on Ukraine. 

Policy newsmakers

Holding the centre ground

MEPs overwhelmingly backed a proposal to delay new EU rules of corporate sustainability reporting and mandatory due diligence on the environmental and social impacts of trading partners last week, with the Greens joining a centrist alliance of social democrats, liberals and conservatives hoping to maintain the centre ground of EU politics. “We are extremely unhappy with the Commission’s Omnibus proposal. It makes hasty and detrimental changes to laws that have only just been adopted,” Greens co-chair Terry Reintke said. “By staying at the negotiation table, we will do our utmost to prevent the worst and defend the Green Deal.” EPP vice-chair in charge of the omnibus process Tomas Tobé also hailed the cross-party cooperation. “It’s clear that constructive forces in Parliament are ready to begin work on real simplification measures that will boost Europe’s competitiveness for the long term,” he said.

Policy Poll

Data brief – Greenland minerals