From the arrangement of the components: the "coalition of the willing" simulates readiness for an operation in Ukraine

Russia is skeptical about the real capabilities of Britain and France to send a contingent of troops to Ukraine in the event of a cease-fire, Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin told Izvestia. According to him, the funds allocated for training are used for routine rearmament, and other European countries and the United States are in no hurry to join the initiative. Analysts believe that without Washington's participation, the presence of a "coalition of willing" in Ukraine will be symbolic. Against this background, in Davos, American negotiators should hand over to the Russian delegation a new version of Donald Trump's peace plan. French President Emmanuel Macron also announced his readiness to organize a meeting in the G7 format with the invitation of Russia and Ukraine.

Britain and France are preparing to send troops to Ukraine

Despite the worsening crisis around Greenland, the Ukrainian conflict remains in the spotlight. There is a debate in the Western camp about providing Ukraine with security guarantees. On January 6, the leaders of Great Britain and France signed a declaration on the deployment of troops of the two countries in Ukraine after the end of hostilities.

According to media reports, we are talking about sending about 15,000 soldiers to Ukrainian territory. The main tasks of the French and British military will be maintenance of equipment, training of the Armed Forces and the construction of defense infrastructure.

— The goal of the "coalition of the willing" is to provide security guarantees to Ukraine as soon as a peaceful solution is reached. The necessary preparations for this moment are being made by France, Great Britain and several other partner countries, the French Embassy in Moscow told Izvestia.

The "coalition of the willing" is only trying to create the impression of a high degree of readiness to send troops to Ukraine, Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin told Izvestia.

— Now it is obvious that the main task is to create a picture for the media that the Europeans are in a high state of readiness in order to immediately transfer contingents to Ukraine. For example, London is sending an officer to Greenland for a PR campaign," the diplomat said.

During a visit to Kiev on January 9, British Defense Minister John Healy announced that the budget for this year included £ 200 million to equip British troops for the mission in Ukraine.

— We are talking about updating the fleet of armored vehicles, communication systems, and means of protecting personnel, including from drones. What is the fundamental difference from the routine process of rearmament of the ground forces has not been explained," said the Russian Ambassador in London.

They got into the "zoo": what "new" anti-aircraft systems Ukraine receives

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are grasping at any straws to protect themselves from Russian air strikes

Kelin noted that other countries, even major European countries, are in no hurry to enroll in the so-called "International Forces for Ukraine." The initiative does not particularly attract the United States, without whose support, as the British themselves said, it would not work. Finally, in London, as in Paris, they stubbornly refuse to take seriously Russia's firm position on the unacceptability of the presence of NATO forces in any form on Ukrainian territory.

"We take all such reports very seriously and are not going to underestimate the threats," the Russian diplomat concluded.

The Russian Federation does not accept those proposals for a settlement in Ukraine that aim to preserve the Nazi regime in Kiev. This was stated by the country's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press conference following the results of Russian diplomacy in 2025. Earlier, officials stressed that Moscow would not stand idly by and watch the appearance of NATO troops in Ukraine, they would become a legitimate target for the Russian Armed Forces.

What is the state of the armies of Britain and France

However, the question remains, what kind of contingent Western countries are able to assemble, given the economic difficulties and the refusal of compulsory military service. According to open data, the number of trained personnel of the British regular army is about 71-73 thousand people. By the way, in January, a bill was introduced to increase the age limit for conscription from the reserve to 65 in order to expand the possibilities of deploying forces in crisis situations.

Experts note a critical shortage of artillery and air defense systems, most of which were transferred to Ukraine in 2024-2025. Therefore, London is unlikely to be able to send more than 10,000 soldiers, whose rotation and supply will require significant costs.

On the contrary, the French Armed Forces are rated as the most combat—ready and balanced army in Western Europe, with a full range of capabilities - from nuclear deterrence to expeditionary operations. With a total strength of about 200,000 people, about 40% of the ground forces are in a state of high readiness for rapid deployment, local media reported.

The countries have many years of joint military experience and a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force of 10,000 people for use in a wide range of crisis scenarios, up to high-intensity combat operations, Nikolai Novik, deputy director of the Center for the Institute of World Military Economics and Strategy, told Izvestia.

— Such operations imply the presence of a command structure, logistics, support and intelligence capabilities that the United States traditionally provides within the framework of NATO. Without Washington's participation, the operation loses its "strategic depth" and turns into a symbolic presence due to the inability to conduct a high-intensity conflict, the expert stressed.

Coalition of the Waiting: how the Europeans are imitating participation in the negotiations on Ukraine

Zelensky's consultations with France, the United Kingdom and the United States have not brought the crisis closer to resolution

Tigran Meloyan, an analyst at the HSE Center for Mediterranean Studies, explained in an interview with Izvestia that the size of the contingent will depend on what tasks France and Great Britain set themselves. For example, it is not necessary to send thousands of troops to train Ukrainian forces, but if the task is to build and protect military bases and ensure the security of the country's airspace and sea, then this may require significant resources that will be difficult to find without weakening other NATO flanks.

How are the peace talks on Ukraine developing?

The issue of Ukraine has become one of the main topics of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Investment and Economic cooperation with foreign countries, has already arrived in Switzerland. He held a meeting with the special envoy of the President of the United States, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the son—in-law of Donald Trump. The negotiations lasted more than two hours.

Steve Witkoff told Izvestia that the meeting was positive. Kirill Dmitriev called the negotiations with the American side constructive.

"More and more people are realizing the correctness of the Russian position,— Dmitriev said.

American representatives should familiarize the Russian side with the final version of the US peace plan, which was agreed with the EU and Ukraine in early January. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted at a press conference, Russia has not yet received new options for a peace agreement from the United States.

The head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov (listed in the Russian Federation as a terrorist and extremist), Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov and the leader of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada, David Arakhamiya, are also in Davos. They are consulting with the security advisers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky was expected to attend, hoping for a meeting with Donald Trump. Washington and Kiev allegedly planned to sign a "prosperity plan" — a program of investments in the reconstruction of Ukraine. According to media reports, the American side demanded that the agreement be finalized. As a result, Zelensky remained in Ukraine, but said he would come to Davos if necessary.

Europe is also undertaking diplomatic maneuvers at the Davos summit. After announcing plans to talk by phone with Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that Donald Trump hold a G7 meeting in Paris on January 22 and invite representatives of Russia and Ukraine to it. France became the chairman of the G7 club this year. Moscow has previously stressed Russia's readiness to restore dialogue with Europe.

— If someone wants to talk, we will never refuse. Even though I am well aware — I will make such a reservation — that it will most likely not be possible to agree on anything with the current leaders of Europe. They have driven themselves too deeply into hatred of Russia," the Russian Foreign Minister said.

Against this background, the US proposals take into account the root causes of its desire to draw Ukraine into NATO and create a threat to Russia from it. Thanks to this, Moscow and Washington have managed to make serious progress, and the parties are constantly in contact. The leaders of the EU and the UK, on the contrary, seek to change the American proposals in such a way that they become beneficial to Kiev. The next round of Russian-American negotiations will show whether Washington has succeeded in defending its initiatives.