Europe ready to launch its own military alliance with Ukraine — Politico

US President Donald Trump's threats to impose harsh trade tariffs on any countries that try to prevent him from establishing control over Greenland have been the final signal for Europe to take action.

In the absence of a radical change in Washington's course, this development is likely to lead to a profound transformation of the West that could radically alter the global balance of power. European states are increasingly inclined to create their own security system, in which Ukraine could play an important role.

As the agency notes, European countries, including those that are not members of the European Union—Britain and Norway—spent a significant part of Trump's second presidential term working within an effective format of cooperation that functions without US participation. This is the so-called Coalition of the Willing.

Informal contacts of Coalition of the Willing

National security advisers from approximately 35 governments are in constant contact with each other: they hold regular online meetings, face-to-face talks, and communicate through informal channels, including messengers.

They are accustomed to seeking collective solutions in a world where Trump's policies are often seen as one of the key problems. According to sources familiar with the group's work, the level of mutual trust among its members remains high.

Leaders of states, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, are in constant contact—often within a single group chat.

Ukraine's role

Over the past year, they have developed a clear mechanism for the rapid exchange of information whenever Trump's actions create potential risks.

This informal group has been dubbed the Washington Group in honor of the joint visit of European leaders to the White House, accompanied by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in August of last year.

According to one diplomat, the Coalition of the Willing initially formed around support for Ukraine, but over time, it has grown into a close network of contacts between key political figures in European capitals. This has strengthened trust and simplified coordination: the participants know each other well and can quickly get in touch.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regularly participates in the correspondence of the Washington Group leaders, which, as Politico notes, adds another important dimension to this cooperation. Ukraine is the most militarized country among the participants, with a large army, a developed high-tech drone industry, and unique combat experience.

Combined with the military capabilities of France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom, such a coalition could become an extremely powerful force, uniting both nuclear and non-nuclear states.

Earlier, the Coalition of the Willing held a meeting at the level of the commanders-in-chief of the armed forces of the member states. Ukraine took part in it, and the parties discussed the implementation of security guarantees for Kyiv.