Telegraph: Coalition of the Willing will only send troops to Ukraine with Putin’s consent

A growing number of countries in the Coalition of the Willing have privately admitted they will only deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine if Vladimir Putin agrees to it, The Telegraph reported on 24 February—the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

The revelation means that the force designed to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again would require permission from the very leader it is meant to deter. Multiple anonymous diplomatic and defense sources told The Telegraph that Coalition members had conceded their troop contributions depended on Moscow's approval—effectively handing Putin a veto over the Anglo-French plan to uphold any future ceasefire. Zelenskyy himself warned in January that without actual soldiers on the ground, the Coalition "isn't exactly" willing.

Now it appears the Coalition isn't exactly willing unless the Kremlin says so, either. Just weeks earlier, Coalition allies had drafted what were meant to be legally binding commitments to defend Ukraine if Russia attacks again. The Russian consent condition makes those commitments binding on paper only.

How Russia gained a veto over the Coalition

The mechanism is structural, not deliberate. Security guarantee negotiations have merged with the US-mediated ceasefire talks between Kyiv and Moscow. As a result, Russia now has to agree on those guarantees—including the troops on the ground.

"If Russia says we don't agree to it and consider those troops a target, then you need to send a different kind of force," one senior diplomatic source told The Telegraph. A second source said European governments essentially gave Putin a veto by demanding a seat at the negotiating table.

The Kremlin has been explicit about its position. After the Paris Declaration in January, Moscow warned that Russia would target any Western troops deployed to Ukraine. That direct threat appears to be driving the "Russian consent" demand from inside the Coalition itself.

In addition, the original 28-point peace plan—drafted by Russian and American officials—explicitly blocked Western alliance troops from peacekeeping. The revised 20-point plan removed that clause. But Moscow's objection clearly survived it.

"If Russia says we don't agree to it and consider those troops a target, then you need to send a different kind of force." — Senior diplomatic source, via The Telegraph

A pattern of shrinking ambition

The Telegraph's report tracks with a pattern first reported by The Times in April 2025. At the time, Britain's defense chief proposed a 64,000-strong force. European ministers said they could barely muster 25,000. That same month, only six of 30 countries committed to sending troops at all.

Ten months later, the ambition has shrunk further. A European defense source told The Telegraph the deployment remained "rather hypothetical." Even Macron—co-chair of the Coalition meeting—has ruled out deploying forces before a ceasefire. He called it "escalatory" and said no consensus exists among allies.

The Coalition also took other hits on the same day. Hungary vetoed the EU's 20th sanctions package and a €90bn loan to Kyiv. Viktor Orbán was blunt: "Do not count on us. We will not give money, we will not give soldiers, we will not go to war." At the same time, Macron expressed deep skepticism that peace could be achieved in the short term.

"The negotiations are completely abstract"

Not everyone accepted the drift. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, speaking to The Telegraph on the streets of Kyiv, called for more pressure on Putin—not less.

"The negotiations are completely abstract. There's no evidence that Russia wants to do this," Johnson said. He called for American Tomahawk and German Taurus missiles to strike Russian drone factories. He also demanded a complete European ban on Russian oil exports and the full seizure of Russian assets on the continent. Days earlier, Johnson had argued that the West should deploy troops to Ukraine before a ceasefire—not after one that Putin controls.

Similarly, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte struck a forceful tone from Brussels: "A promise of help does not end a war. Ukraine needs ammunition today and every day until the bloodshed stops."

The Coalition of the Willing now includes at least 26 countries. How many of them are willing without Russia's permission remains an open question.