‘Coalition of the Willing’ meets in Paris to renew support for Ukraine

PARIS (CN) — On Monday, 37 heads of state met in Paris to accelerate progress toward a lasting peace in Ukraine, which leaders said extends to European security as a whole.

“I wish to address the people of Europe directly,” French President Emmanuel Macron said to a largely empty room of journalists at the Hôtel des Invalides. “What we’re building here is not just for Ukraine — it demonstrates that Europe can take charge of its own security and defend its interests, and that it can act in unity and strength without naivety regarding the intentions of others.”

Monday marked the 16th meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing,” which was launched in 2025 as a unifying force across Europe in the face of geopolitical instability. Police motorcycles zoomed around a fenced-off perimeter and a helicopter hovered overhead while leaders gathered inside.

On the sidelines of the meeting, 10 countries — Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the U.K. — also announced the launch of a new Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition, which it said will be “purely defensive.” The coalition will aim to establish joint technical working groups, clear governance mechanisms and a road map toward making the system operational, according to a joint statement.

“Ukraine has defended itself against [ballistic missiles] for many years, and every day we need new interceptors,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday evening. “In Ukraine we don’t have enough interceptors to shoot down ballistic missiles, that’s the reality.”

Macron described Monday’s meeting as a “new sequence” in Europe’s support for Ukraine, which he said has helped accelerate progress in a “twofold dynamic.” Firstly, Ukraine has “regained ground” militarily while Russia faces challenges both on the battlefield and in its economic sector. Secondly, numerous meetings — including the G7 and NATO summits — have helped to “reinforce the exchange of a robust peace.”

The French president added that he and Zelenskyy agreed to expand military cooperation between the two countries. Ukraine will be acquiring new-generation SAMP/T batteries for its air defense arsenal alongside 16 Rafale fighter jets “as early as 2028 or 2029.” Radar systems and missiles will also be “transferred” over, alongside supportive technology that should help to get them working as soon as possible.

In the long term, Macron said that a “reassurance force” will support Ukraine once a ceasefire is established. However, it’s unclear how this “purely defensive” force would work; the president said that it “in no way” constitutes a ceasefire monitoring system, but instead shows a demonstration of commitment to make sure any agreements are respected. Macron added the force would be deployed to countries that border Ukraine.

“I want to say this clearly: Support for Ukraine is an investment in our own security, and to those who think that this war will stop at the Ukrainian borders, if we give in, we are looking for ways to facilitate Russian aggression,” he said. “The history of our continent has taught us the cost of backing down in the face of aggression, and we will not make that mistake again.”

Journalists shuffled to the front of the room after Macron remarked there were a lot of empty seats on Monday evening. He was accompanied by Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer— who said this would be his last meeting alongside the coalition after he resigned from his position on June 22.

“I took the opportunity today to say thank you to all our partners with whom I’ve marched from shoulder to shoulder in support of Ukraine,” he said. “We will not waver — Ukraine is the defining cause of our times, but history will record that we rose to this moment.”

Starmer announced the U.K. will also be participating in the EU’s roughly $100 billion loan to support Ukraine, which he said would ensure that it continues to receive ammunition, air defense systems and long-range missiles.

“We have to do everything we can to ensure that Ukraine has the air defense it may need to prevent further senseless loss of life, and that includes speeding up production, lifting more from our stocks and supporting Ukrainian innovation,” Starmer said. “Second, we must continue to ramp up pressure on Russia, including with going further on sanctions.”

Earlier on Monday, the U.K. and EU introduced a new joint cyber sanction package targeting Russian state actors and criminal networks responsible for malicious online activity.

“Now, [Russian President Vladimir Putin] is on the back foot, he will try to intimidate us once again with more talk of escalation and hybrid attacks,” Starmer said. “So we need to be absolutely clear that while we do not seek confrontation with Russia, these tactics will not deter us from our support to Ukraine.”

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