Operational discussions to plan for a multinational reassurance
force to support Ukraine in securing a lasting peace will
progress today [Thursday] with 30 defence ministers set to attend
the latest Coalition of the Willing meeting.
The Defence Secretary, , and his French counterpart,
Minister Sébastien Lecornu, will host around 30 nations involved
in planning for the Coalition of the Willing in Brussels later
today.
The meetings will focus on how the capabilities of each nation in
the Coalition could be best used in supporting Ukraine's
long-term defence and security.
The Prime Minister and Defence Secretary have both been clear
that a lasting peace in Ukraine will require credible security
assurances to deter Russian aggression. The UK has been stepping
up to lead international support to keep Ukraine in the fight now
and put them in the strongest possible position to secure peace.
Addressing the meeting, Defence Secretary MP is expected to say:
“A couple of weeks ago, I visited the UK's Permanent Joint
Headquarters where military leaders from around 30 nations were
developing options and progressing plans. I was struck by their
sense of historic responsibility to secure the peace in Ukraine
and to strengthen European security for all our nations.
“We cannot jeopardise the peace by forgetting about the war, so
we must put even more pressure on Putin and step up our support
for Ukraine – both in today's fight and the push for peace. Our
commitment is to put Ukraine in the strongest position to protect
Ukraine's sovereignty and deter future Russian aggression.”
The meeting today comes after the Chief of the Defence Staff
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, travelled to Kyiv with French military
chiefs last weekend to meet President Zelenskyy, Defence Minister
Umerov, and Ukrainian military leaders to update and discuss
planning.
Tomorrow, the Defence Secretary and German Defence Minister Boris
Pistorius will chair the 27th meeting of the Ukraine Defence
Contact Group, bringing together around 50 nations to drive
forward additional military support for Ukraine in the face of
ongoing Russian attacks.
The UK convened and chaired the group in its latest format for
the first time in February, with 46 nations in attendance,
raising an extra 1.5 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine.
These latest meetings come after the UK set the path to spending
2.5% of GDP on defence from 2027, and a boost to defence spending
of £5 billion for this financial year, delivering on the
government's Plan for Change.
This work delivers on the Prime Minister's four-point plan to
support Ukraine by ramping up delivery of weapons and equipment,
boosting Ukraine's defensive capabilities in the long term,
working with allies to develop robust security assurances, and
keeping up pressure on Putin.
The UK is fully committed to working with allies to step up
support to ensure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position
to secure peace and is stepping up support – providing £4.5
billion of military support this year – more than ever before.
This support is vital to European security but is also supporting
growth across the UK, with defence as an engine for growth. Last
month, the Prime Minister announced a historic £1.6 billion deal
to provide more than five thousand air defence missiles for
Ukraine - creating 200 new jobs and supporting a further 700.
Defence supports more than 434,000 skilled jobs in the UK.
The UK has sent around 400 different capabilities to
Ukraine, with a £150 million package including drones, tanks and
air defence systems announced on 12 February 2025, a £225 million
package including drones, boats and munitions announced on 19
December 2024, and 650 lightweight multirole missiles announced
on 6 September 2024.
