Why the 'Coalition of the Willing' can strengthen both Ukraine and the EU"

The EU may soon face serious image problems in Ukraine.

One reason is that many Ukrainians overestimate the speed of accession while underestimating the EU’s requirements. More importantly, there are unrealistic expectations about the EU’s ability to resolve crises and make bold decisions that Ukraine needs. It is crucial to recognise that the EU’s capacity in this regard is indeed limited.

The "coalition of the willing," which is currently being formed in Europe, can quite feasibly be linked to the European Union in terms of image without undermining the flexibility of this format. This would also give the EU greater weight in the security sphere and pave the way for new European security formats.

Read more in the article by Sergiy Sydorenko, European Pravda's editor – "Coalition of the willing" for Ukraine and the EU: how a new security alliance can save trust in Brussels.

Ukrainians have long favoured EU membership over alternative paths for the country’s development, but after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the desire for European integration has turned into a national idea.

But Trust in the EU is not unconditional. However, it would be a mistake to assume that Ukrainians’ trust in Europe is a constant that will never change.

There are reasons to speak about a number of looming challenges.

The primary issue already becoming evident is the difficulty the EU faces in making decisions regarding Ukraine. The ongoing risk of decision-making blockades, often based on dubious pretexts, will remain a persistent threat, at least as long as Viktor Orbán governs Hungary.

Yes, the continuation of sanctions against Russia requires increasing efforts due to the need for unanimous voting.

The EU lacks effective mechanisms to strip Orbán’s Hungary of its veto power and its ability to undermine the common European policy on Ukraine. However, nothing prevents the creation of initiatives that legally exist outside the EU framework but are perceived as operating under a European umbrella. NATO's experience proves that this is feasible.

Why not assign the "coalition of the willing," which is currently taking shape, the same image-building role that the Ramstein format played for NATO? The meetings of this coalition could occasionally take place before EU summits, at the Europa Building in Brussels, just as Ramstein meetings are often held at NATO headquarters.

In fact, the groundwork for this already exists: EU leadership has participated in all of this coalition’s founding meetings.

The fact that the "coalition of the willing" extends beyond the EU and includes the UK, Norway, and others is not an obstacle. After all, Ramstein also involves several non-NATO states.

This would address the EU’s key image problems, not only in Ukraine.

Moreover, there is no need to limit this approach to just one format. If necessary, it can be applied to other initiatives as well.