Zelenskyy calls on 'coalition of the willing' to provide stable funding for Ukrainian army

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at the European Council meeting, called on the 'coalition of the willing' to create mechanisms to ensure reliable and predictable funding for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine, through its struggle, is making a real contribution to European security and has gained unique experience in modern warfare, but 'without funding, there is no army.' He stated that funds are needed for routine maintenance of the army, equipment, salaries, and military contracts.

The president urged member states to focus on practical solutions: 'We must provide long-term security guarantees for Europe, and that means long-term guarantees, including financial guarantees, for security, stability, and the Ukrainian army.'

The 'coalition of the willing' brings together countries ready to make contributions to long-term support for Ukraine to ensure sustainable peace after the end of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Key roles are played by the UK and France. The next coalition meeting will be held in Paris on July 13–14.

Zelenskyy also asked the European Council to accelerate the use of unblocked funds from the 'Peace Facility' and to agree on opening the remaining five clusters in accession negotiations as early as June. However, it later emerged that hopes for a swift opening of clusters were not confirmed by the summit's decision. Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar boasted that he had 'scratched out' fast-track accession from the summit decision, but the circle of opponents turned out to be significantly wider.