Starmer highlights command structure to rapidly execute Ukraine support plans
Photo: Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister (Getty Images)
The Coalition of the Willing is working on plans to send deterrence forces to Ukraine. These plans are already as prepared as possible — given that a ceasefire has not yet been reached, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated this at a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Starmer recalled that the Coalition of the Willing was established to ensure a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia, noting that there have already been instances when Russian President Vladimir Putin violated ceasefires.
According to him, a few months ago, military planners from coalition countries developed assistance plans for Ukraine in four key areas:
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in the airspace;
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at sea;
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on land;
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and in strengthening the combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"I'm satisfied, so are the other members of the Coalition of the Willing, that those plans are now as far completed as far as they can be until we get to a ceasefire, which is why we had the meeting of the coalition of the willing last week to sign off those plans. But they are advanced plans now. They are capable of being operationalized," Starmer emphasized.
He clarified that drafting concrete military plans takes time, so the decision was made to prepare them ahead of a potential ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
"Most importantly, and often the most difficult, we've got a command structure in place, so that the plans can move from the plan stage to being operationalized very quickly," the British Prime Minister explained.
Coalition of the Willing
Just last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the countries of the Coalition of the Willing had increased the peacekeeping forces designated for Ukraine.
According to him, these forces now number up to 50,000 troops. They could be deployed to Ukraine, but only after a ceasefire is reached between Ukraine and Russia.
Notably, the most recent meeting of the Coalition of the Willing took place on July 10 in Rome. For the first time, representatives from the United States also participated in the discussions.
