Over 30 countries to join 'coalition of the willing,' UK government reveals details

More than 30 countries will join the "coalition of the willing," with some already expressing readiness to send troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission, the spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, Sky News reported.

On Saturday, the leaders of 26 Western nations, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held a virtual meeting organized by Starmer after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to a 30-day ceasefire.

Representatives from Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UK participated in the online talks.

Military leaders will meet on Thursday, March 20, to discuss the next "operational phase" of Ukraine's defense within the peacekeeping forces if a ceasefire agreement with Russia can be reached.

According to the UK prime minister's spokesperson, they now expect over 30 countries to be involved in the coalition, though he did not specify which additional nations joined after Saturday's meeting.

"The contribution capabilities will vary, but this will be a significant force, with a significant number of countries providing troops and a larger group contributing in other ways," he said.