Who will be “happily” to help Ukraine?

The UK and France have pledged to gather a “coalition of will” to secure a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. Now, European acidity testing is being conducted. Given that Russia rejected such a coalition as part of the reconciliation, how many countries would step up?

British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer left them not answering these questions as he said goodbye to his fellow leaders after a summit meeting in London on Sunday. He admitted that “not all countries feel they can contribute,” but he expressed some opinions, acknowledging that this would signal President Trump that “Europe is ready to make a 'heavy lift'.”

Getting Trump back into the process is just as important as the mission and scope of the European Union, analysts say. At this point, the US appears to be determined to sign a contract with Russian President Putin and the head of Europe and Ukraine without security guarantees.

Starmer presented his alliance of motivation as one of several steps, including Ukraine's continued military aid to improve his position on the battlefield. That's where the Union comes.

In addition to the UK and France, Northern European countries like Denmark and the Netherlands seem to be obvious candidates to participate. Both are strong financial advocates of Ukrainian war efforts and NATO members who have contributed to other security campaigns like Afghanistan. Germany is the second largest contributor of military and other other aid to Ukraine, after the US.

However, countries face political and economic hurdles, including the need to pass certain Dutch parliamentary measures and the lack of a new German government after the recent election. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was “open to her.” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoef said he has not yet made any concrete commitments.

“We will renegotiate these issues accurately,” said departing German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz, who said that after Sunday's meeting, it sounded like less than a call to weapons. Intensifying military spending, he added, “It requires efforts that many people have not yet been fully prepared.”

Skoltz's successor, Friedrich Merz, is in a hurry to get a huge amount of funds for the defense, potentially at least 200 billion euros and about $207 billion.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the early plans for Britain and France will begin with a month-long ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. The deployment of peacekeeping forces will only come after that, he said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro on Sunday evening.

“There will not be any European troops in the Ukrainian soil in the coming weeks,” Macron said. “The problem is how this time will be used to get an accessible ceasefire, negotiating for weeks and unfolding once peace is signed.”

“We want peace,” Macron said. “No guarantees and I don't want any price.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has developed friendly ties with the Trump administration, but remains skeptical of peacekeepers. On Sunday, she said deploying Italian troops “was never at the table,” adding that such operations took the risk that they were “very complicated and ineffective.”

There are also countries that are openly unwilling to be accepted, especially Hungary. This has tried to maintain additional European aid to Ukraine in the past. Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban thanked Trump for his hostile treatment of Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky at an oval office meeting last week.

Slovak Prime Ministers Orban and Robert Fiko demanded that the European Union immediately seek a ceasefire in Ukraine. Both have threatened to block statements of support for Ukraine at this week's EU summit meeting. Neither leader was invited to a gathering in London.

European leaders fear that Orban's decision to freeze Russian assets could sustain his efforts to maintain around $200 billion in Russian assets to freeze for renewal this summer. London has loaned around $2.8 billion of Ukraine, £2.26 billion, which it says will pay off interest from frozen Russian assets held in the UK.

“This requires unanimity,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tass said of the vote to freeze assets. “We know what Hungary's position is and what it is.”

Even if Europe marshals a robust coalition, it's not clear that it will satisfy Trump. According to administration officials, he is expected to meet with top aides on Monday to discuss the suspension or cancellation of US military aid to Ukraine.

For starmer, who casts himself as a bridge between Europe and the United States, the diplomatic risk is high.

British US ambassador Peter Mandelson cited protests at his home on Monday after Zelensky told ABC News that he needed to give clear support to the initiative that President Trump is taking to end the war and bring just and lasting peace to Ukraine.

James Crakeley, a conservative former foreign secretary, said, “The British ambassador in Washington does not intend to convey his own opinion, he does not intend to convey the British government's opinion.” He urged Starmer and current Foreign Secretary David Lammy to “know this.”

However, Starmer also refused to appeal for Europe to distance himself from Trump. He said he is committed to “durable peace.” He said he had phoned with the US president on Saturday night to discuss European plans. He is likely to face meticulous questions about his strategy in Congress on Monday afternoon.

“If we didn't think we could get a positive outcome in terms of ensuring that we move together, we wouldn't have taken this step back this path,” Starmer said after a whirlwind diplomacy day in London.

The report was contributed by Stephen Erlanger of Berlin. Aureli Embriden in Paris. Eric Schmidt of Washington.