European Coalition of the Willing to Meet in Kyiv on Independence Day

A meeting of more than  30 countries that are among Ukraine’s strongest supporters via the Coalition of the Willing is set to take place in Kyiv on August 24 — Ukrainian Independence Day.

It is highly significant that these European national leaders chose the date that signals the re-establishment of Ukraine’s independence for such a multilateral meeting at a time when Moscow is threatening its existence.

Several leaders are attending in person, one person familiar with the matter, and one EU official confirmed to the Kyiv Independent.

The meeting will take place on Ukraine's Independence Day and will be the third time the grouping has met in Kyiv since it was established by France and the U.K. in March 2025, with the aim of agreeing on security guarantees for a post-ceasefire Ukraine.

Alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky, leaders expected to join in person include European Council President Antonio Costa, alongside the President of Finland Alexander Stubb, and Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden, the person familiar with the meeting told the Kyiv Independent.

Costa's plan to attend in person was confirmed separately by an EU official on the condition of anonymity.

The meetings of the Coalition of the Willing always take place in a hybrid format, and it is expected that the majority will participate online.

It will also be the first meeting of the group since its British co-chair, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, took office on July 20. Were he to attend in person, it would also be his first trip to Ukraine since becoming Prime Minister.

At the group's last meeting, on July 13 in France, Poland announced it would hold Coalition of the Willing military drills sometime in the autumn.

The aim of those drills is for the group to be ready to deliver on its pledge to deploy a so-called reassurance force in Ukraine once a ceasefire is achieved, reinforcing the country's security on land, in the air, and at sea.