Coalition of the Willing to Form Peacekeeping Coordination HQ in Paris and Kyiv

The Coalition of the Willing member-countries which plan to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, have agreed to establish coalition headquarters.

This is noted in a statement by the British government.

After the headquarters is formed in Paris, a coordination center is planned to be established in Kyiv, but this will happen after the command structure of the Coalition is finalized.

The decision was made following a virtual meeting between the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing and British Prime Minister and French President, which took place at the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and other participants of the Conference on the Recovery of Ukraine, held in Rome, also joined the discussion.

Representatives of the United States, including Special Presidential Envoy General Keith Kellogg and Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, joined the meeting for the first time.

Military commanders reported significant progress, including the completion of reconnaissance visits to Ukraine to assess how coalition forces can effectively contribute to restoring the combat capability of Ukrainian troops after the ceasefire and ensure long-term stability.

After agreeing on command structures, the leaders agreed that planning would continue as normal to ensure the deployment of the contingent within days of the end of hostilities.

The plan provides for the establishment of a multinational three-star operational headquarters in Paris under the joint command of the United Kingdom and France. This headquarters will coordinate all tactical and operational activities.

After 12 months, the headquarters is planned to be moved to London, which will provide partners with flexibility in providing forces and rapidly deploying units to carry out specific tasks.

Once the deployment of forces begins, a coordination group will also be set up in Kyiv under the leadership of a British officer with the rank of two-star general.

Functions of the Coalition

As part of its support for Ukraine, the Coalition of the Willing plans to send experts in logistics, armaments, and training to assist in the restoration and reform of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.

In addition, the Coalition’s air forces, together with the Ukrainian Air Force, will ensure the security of the airspace.

Coalition aircraft patrolling the skies should increase the safety of the civilian population and create conditions for the resumption of normal international air traffic.

There are also plans to strengthen the Black Sea Task Force, which includes Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria.

It will be supplemented with specialized personnel to speed up the demining of the Black Sea and ensure safe and uninterrupted maritime access to and from Ukrainian ports.