Latest news with #coalitionofthewilling
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
We must ‘get real' about Trump abandoning Ukraine, Europe admits
British and French officials drawing up plans for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine have discussed the need to 'get real' about Donald Trump abandoning the country. Officials agreed to shift the focus from deploying European troops to back up any ceasefire to sustaining Kyiv's long-term defence against Russia's invasion without American support. There is now a genuine concern that the US president will follow through on his threat to walk away from his role as a mediator, having failed to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. 'Let's get real and admit the US will never be on board,' a Western official told the Telegraph, describing the dire mood at the meeting in the Hague. A European diplomat added: 'It was mostly about how to sustain the necessary support to Ukraine when we assume that the US would only continue providing some specific assets, such as intelligence. 'We also agreed on the need to step up economic pressure on Russia.' The meeting in the Dutch capital, attended by 'political directors' from foreign ministries, marked a stark change in roles of the 'coalition of the willing' devised by Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron to uphold a possible ceasefire being pursued by the Americans. Sir Keir and Mr Macron have been pushing the 'coalition of the willing' proposal under which European allies would use their soldiers to help enforce any peace deal. More than 30 nations have indicated support, although only a handful have publicly offered to put troops on the ground in Ukraine. A central question had been whether Washington is willing to provide what has been described by UK figures as a 'security guarantee' or a 'back-up' for this force. The group still hasn't publicly conceded that its intentions have changed, with the chances of peace dwindling the longer Putin holds out against international pressure for a truce. The European nations also agreed to invite Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, to the Nato summit in The Hague next month. His attendance had previously been in doubt after Mr Trump's vocal opposition to Ukraine joining the Western military alliance. General Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump's Ukraine envoy, said on Friday: 'We've said that, to us, Ukraine coming into Nato is not on the table. 'And we're not the only country that says that. You know, I can probably give you four countries in Nato, and it takes 32 of the 32 to allow you to come into Nato.' It is likely the coalition will continue to support the Trump peace efforts in public at the request of Ukrainian officials, who fear not doing so will result in the US leader ending weapons shipments and intelligence sharing. Although Washington has not signed off on deliveries of new weapons since Mr Trump took office, it continues to ship hardware agreed under Joe Biden's tenure. The US has also signed off on sales of domestically-produced kit, such as spares for F-16 fighter jets, to Ukraine, as well as allowing European nations to deliver American-made equipment. The meeting in the Dutch capital comes ahead of a key week of diplomacy. On Monday, Britain's national security adviser is expected to attend the next round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. Gen Kellogg told ABC News: 'We'll have what we call the E3. That is the national security advisers from Germany, France, and Great Britain…When we were in London, they kind of helped us mould a term sheet for Ukraine.' Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct negotiations in more than three years in the Turkish capital earlier this month. On Friday, the Kremlin said it would only discuss the conditions of a ceasefire at the talks in Istanbul after Kyiv demanded to see a peace memorandum prior to negotiations. Ukraine said it wanted to see a document setting out Russia's peace proposal before committing to sending officials to Istanbul. Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, said: 'In order for the next planned meeting to be substantive and meaningful, it is important to receive a document in advance so that the delegation that will attend has the authority to discuss the relevant positions.' Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, announced the second round of talks earlier this week after Donald Trump further criticised Vladimir Putin. The US president had called his Russian counterpart 'crazy' and accused him of 'playing with fire' before appearing to give him a two-week deadline to secure a deal. Next week, Britain and Germany will also host a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group of 50 nations coordinating military aid to Ukraine. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Europe ‘must get real' about Trump abandoning Ukraine
British and French officials drawing up plans for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine have discussed the need to 'get real' about Donald Trump abandoning the country. Officials agreed to shift the focus from deploying European troops to back up any ceasefire to sustaining Kyiv's long-term defence against Russia's invasion without American support. There is now a genuine concern that the US president will follow through on his threat to walk away from his role as a mediator, having failed to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. 'Let's get real and admit the US will never be on board,' a Western official told the Telegraph, describing the dire mood at the meeting in the Hague. A European diplomat added: 'It was mostly about how to sustain the necessary support to Ukraine when we assume that the US would only continue providing some specific assets, such as intelligence. 'We also agreed on the need to step up economic pressure on Russia.' The meeting in the Dutch capital, attended by 'political directors' from foreign ministries, marked a stark change in roles of the 'coalition of the willing' devised by Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron to uphold a possible ceasefire being pursued by the Americans. Sir Keir and Mr Macron have been pushing the 'coalition of the willing' proposal under which European allies would use their soldiers to help enforce any peace deal. More than 30 nations have indicated support, although only a handful have publicly offered to put troops on the ground in Ukraine. 'Ukraine in Nato not on the table' A central question had been whether Washington is willing to provide what has been described by UK figures as a 'security guarantee' or a 'back-up' for this force. The group still hasn't publicly conceded that its intentions have changed, with the chances of peace dwindling the longer Putin holds out against international pressure for a truce. The European nations also agreed to invite Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, to the Nato summit in The Hague next month. His attendance had previously been in doubt after Mr Trump's vocal opposition to Ukraine joining the Western military alliance. General Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump's Ukraine envoy, said on Friday: 'We've said that, to us, Ukraine coming into Nato is not on the table. 'And we're not the only country that says that. You know, I can probably give you four countries in Nato, and it takes 32 of the 32 to allow you to come into Nato.'
Russia Today
26-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Poland wants to ‘earn big money' on Ukraine
Poland intends to profit from Ukraine's post-conflict reconstruction, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said. During a visit to the Euroterminal Slawkow railway facility in the south of the country on Monday, Tusk pitched the expansion of the site into a key hub for materials bound for Ukraine. 'It is not wrong to say: we want to earn big money for Poland on the reconstruction of Ukraine,' he told reporters. 'We want to help, but we also want to earn money on it, and this special hub is needed for this purpose.' Poland has been one of Ukraine's top donors since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022, providing over €5.1 billion ($5.7 billion) in aid – more than 70% of it military – according to Germany's Kiel Institute. Warsaw is also part of the so-called 'coalition of the willing,' a group of European nations advocating continued military aid for Kiev. Polish officials have repeatedly urged EU-wide militarization in response to what they describe as a growing threat from Russia – claims that Moscow has repeatedly dismissed as 'nonsense' and 'fearmongering.' The Euroterminal Slawkow, established in 2010, lies near the intersection of Pan-European Transport Corridors III and VI. It currently supports regular connections within Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Italy, and several Ukrainian locations. According to Tusk, the terminal has the potential to become a major transshipment center, thanks to its location at the junction of rail lines linking Western Europe with Ukraine and Asia. Tusk complained about Poland's minimal role in reconstruction efforts after the Iraq War, insisting that the country will not be sidelined again. 'It cannot be like it used to be... where everyone got involved, including Poland, and then the bigger players made money on the reconstruction, and Poland was left out in the cold,' he said. 'If we are talking about tens, hundreds of billions of zloty that the world, Europe, Poland, Ukraine will spend on the reconstruction, then among other things we are expanding this logistics hub... so that Poland can make money on it,' he concluded. The World Bank estimates that Ukraine's recovery could cost more than $500 billion over the next decade. Some EU countries, including Poland, have suggested using frozen Russian sovereign assets to fund the effort. Others, however, have warned that doing so without clear legal grounds could set a dangerous precedent and discourage global investment in Europe. Moscow has condemned the proposed move as 'theft' and threatened to retaliate against Western investments in Russia.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump after Putin's address: Imagine if this "bloodbath" finally ends
US President Trump has suggested that the developments on 10-11 May – a visit by the coalition of the willing leaders to Kyiv and Putin's speech overnight – are a "potentially great day" for Ukraine, Russia, and peace prospects. Source: Trump on Truth Social Details: Trump did not specify whether he was reacting to both events or to one of them. Quote from Trump: "A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end. I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!" Background: In a statement on the night of 10-11 May, Putin announced his readiness to hold direct talks with Kyiv in Istanbul on Thursday 15 May. Following the summit on 10 May, the coalition of the willing demanded that Russia agree to an unconditional ceasefire for 30 days starting 12 May. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Turkey ready to undertake duty for observing potential ceasefire in Ukraine, source says
(Reuters) - Turkey is ready to undertake the duty to observe a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, its foreign minister said during a "coalition of the willing" call with Kyiv's partners on Saturday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said. The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Poland -the so-called "coalition of the willing"- and Ukraine have met in Kyiv on Saturday. They agreed to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire on May 12 with the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump, threatening President Vladimir Putin with new "massive" sanctions if he failed to comply. Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan joined the coalition of the willing call and emphasised Turkey's commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity, the Turkish foreign ministry source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. Fidan voiced Ankara's support for the efforts for the unconditional ceasefire and added that Turkey was ready to undertake the duty for observing the ceasefire in Ukraine if it is established, the source also said. NATO member Turkey has maintained cordial ties with both Kyiv and Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has voiced support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and provided it with military help, while opposing sanctions on Russia. In March, Turkey's defence ministry said that it could contribute to a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia is declared. Last month, Ukrainian, British, French and Turkish military representatives met in Turkey to discuss Black Sea security after a possible ceasefire is agreed between Ukraine and Russia.
