Coalition of the Willing pledges to tighten sanctions, boost Ukraine’s defenses

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Leaders of the so-called Coalition of the Willing have vowed to intensify sanctions against Russia and step up military support for Ukraine.

During a joint press conference in London on Friday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the coalition would act to take Russia’s oil and gas “off the global market” in a bid to “choke off funding for Russia’s war.”

He is determined to move quickly on releasing funds from Russia’s frozen assets, stressing the importance of using them for reparations to Ukraine, he added.

“We are strengthening Ukraine’s air defense,” Keir said, announcing that the UK would supply Kyiv with additional missiles to bolster protection over the winter months.

He said the coalition would maintain military pressure on President Vladimir Putin and continue work on plans for multinational security arrangements for when peace is achieved.

“Ukraine’s future is our future,” he said. “We are determined to act now to dial up the pressure on Putin and finally bring him to the negotiating table in good faith.”

Keir was joined by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Rutte said he had a “very good meeting” with former US President Donald Trump in Washington two days earlier and that new sanctions on Russia would further increase pressure on the Kremlin.

“In Ukraine, Putin is gaining little ground on the battlefield,” he said. “Marginal gains are coming at great loss. The truth is that Putin is running out of money, troops, and ideas. President Trump said to us very well… they should stop where they are now, and now is the right time to increase the pressure on Russia so we can finally get a fair and just peace for Ukraine.”

“On both sides of the Atlantic, we want this war to end,” Rutte added. “We are moving in the right direction.”