UK to host next summit of “coalition of the willing” shortly

The United Kingdom is set to host a meeting of the so-called "coalition of the willing"—a loosely organized alliance of Western nations backing Ukraine—on the sidelines of a Franco-British summit on July 10.

An Elysée official confirmed that some leaders such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will join the talks remotely from Rome, Caliber.Az reports citing Politico, where he is attending a separate conference focused on aid for Kyiv.

“There will be a summit of the coalition of the willing, led by the [French] president and the [British] prime minister,” an unnamed official said, stating that the summit's agenda will revolve around the matters on how to maintain Ukraine’s combat capabilities, increasing pressure on Russia, and "planning the next steps."

The British seat of the prime minister has not issued a formal comment on the gathering yet, and it remains unclear which of the coalition’s 30-plus member states will send leaders to attend in person.

Originally formed to coordinate security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, the coalition is being spearheaded by the UK and France. Critics point to the alliance's undefined purpose and aims, especially in regards to the question regarding the deployment of forces on Ukrainian soil. This has previously led to internal disagreements over potential US military involvement, which has only been further aggregated after the Pentagon paused the delivery of promised air defence systems to Ukraine, citing concerns over depleted U.S. stockpiles.

The Elysée official reportedly insisted in his statement that the coalition’s core focus on Ukraine’s military needs remains unchanged despite these setbacks.

In May 2025, the UK prime minister joined French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on a trip to Kyiv a meeting of the coalition was held. According to the Ukrainian president’s office, the alliance called upon Moscow to implement a ceasefire the discussions and threatened to install further sanctions should this be declined. In the course of that summit, they also agreed to continue working on the effective use of frozen Russian assets.

By Nazrin Sadigova