Prystaiko: “Participation of Western troops is possible in the format of a ‘coalition of the willing'”
12 March 2024 11:58
Western countries that are ready to send their troops to Ukraine under certain conditions can do so as part of a kind of “coalition of the willing” that will not be related to NATO. Former Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko said this in an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda, Kommersant Ukrayinsky reports 
“The issue of forming a ‘coalition of the willing’ has been around since the first days of the Great War. NATO is a defensive alliance that doesn’t even have its own armed forces, because these are the armed forces of the alliance members. Each country, according to the UN Charter, has the right to act independently. And they can act individually or as a group, regardless of the decision taken by NATO. Relatively speaking, if some country, I suspect Hungary or Slovakia, votes against NATO’s participation in any kind of operation, this does not prevent France, Britain, our Baltic friends, Poland and other countries from making an independent decision on the presence of their armed forces on the territory of Ukraine. We just need to invite them, that’s all,”
– prystaiko said.
As an example, the former ambassador cited the military operation in Iraq, in which individual NATO member states took part, but not NATO as a whole:
“This is exactly the way that some countries are ready to act in the event of a catastrophic development of events, as I have mentioned.”
Prystaiko named the United Kingdom as the first of these countries.
“I am pleased that France, at least according to Macron’s statements, is joining the ranks of these countries. Obviously, Britain is first on the list,”
– he said.
However, the diplomat stressed that the formats of “military participation” can be very different:
“For some reason, we always think that the participation of the British military means marines with a beautiful British flag marching alongside a yellow and blue flag. It’s not. The participation of British officers and soldiers can be different.”
In particular, he believes that the recent statements by French President Macron are a great example of the formation of a “cloud of uncertainty” that confuses the enemy but also prepares its own citizens for difficult decisions.
“There’s a word for it – uncertainty. You know, it’s a fog that is deliberately maintained so that the enemy cannot understand your real intentions. Macron’s statements are precisely the creation of this cloud of uncertainty, in which anything is possible. Let the Russians think whether the French legions are ready to cross the border right now… And when the French president says this, he realises that there are probably many French people who might be frightened by such a statement. By voicing it in this form, he is preparing his people that such a decision, if it needs to be made, will be made. This is what is important for us,”
– said Vadym Prystaiko.
“Festival of security agreements”
Against the backdrop of disappointing news from the US Congress, the “Festival of Security Agreements with Ukraine” is gaining momentum, with Western countries guaranteeing our security under bilateral agreements such as the Budapest Memorandum. Ukraine has already signed such agreements with the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Canada and the Netherlands. Under these agreements, these states pledge to support Ukraine in the face of the Russian threat with finance, weapons and humanitarian aid.
The United States and Poland may be among the next signatories, as it is known that the government is negotiating with these countries.
For example, the US Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, said that two rounds of talks between Ukraine and the US have already taken place on the content and content of the relevant agreement with the US government.
Ukraine is desperately trying to gain the support of the world. In particular, the following 5 points of the Ukrainian Formula for Peace were presented at this year’s Davos Economic Forum.
