On Saturday, the United Kingdom announced that Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese was considering joining a group of nations ready to defend a future ceasefire in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
France and Britain have been spearheading attempts to establish the so-called “coalition of the willing” since President Donald Trump has cast doubt on the United States’ long-term commitment to the security of Europe.
Keir Starmer, the prime minister of Britain, “spoke to the prime minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, this morning,” the office of the UK leader announced Saturday.
“He welcomed Prime Minister Albanese’s commitment to consider contributing to a Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine and looked forward to the Chiefs of Defence meeting in Paris on Tuesday.”
While Trump seeks direct negotiations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to halt Moscow’s three-year invasion of Ukraine, European nations have been scrambling to increase their support for Ukraine.
Several European nations have expressed their willingness to send soldiers to Ukraine as a “security guarantee.”
The “coalition of the willing” has not been given specifics, but Starmer brought up the organisation during a conference of European leaders in London last Sunday to ensure “lasting peace” in Ukraine.
According to a UK official on Thursday, British authorities have held discussions with about 20 nations interested in joining the group.
The official described the countries as “largely European and Commonwealth partners” but would not name them.
Albanese told reporters earlier this week that Australia was “ready to assist” Ukraine.
“There’s discussion at the moment about potential peacekeeping,” he stated. “From my government’s perspective, we’re open to consideration of any proposals going forward.”
