Spain to reportedly host 'secret' summit of 'Coalition of the Willing' on Nov. 4
Top officials from 35 countries will gather in Madrid for a "secret, private summit" of the "Coalition of the Willing" on Nov. 4, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported, citing a document it had obtained.
The secretive meeting will reportedly focus on increasing aid to Ukraine and coordinating security guarantees to ward off future Russian aggression.
The French- and U.K.-led coalition, formed earlier this year, aims to establish long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, potentially including the deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force once the war ends.
According to El Mundo, the first part of the meeting will focus on Ukraine's urgent financial needs, including those related to defense efforts.
The officials are expected to identify priorities for further support and discuss ways to ramp up pressure on Russia.
The second part of the meeting, which will follow a speech by Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, is expected to focus on the legal, political, and diplomatic framework of security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as contributions from individual coalition members.
As the meeting is being organized in "utmost secrecy," the participants will not be allowed to have their phones and will be requested not to publicize the meeting on social media, El Mundo wrote.
The Kyiv Independent has reached out to the Spanish Foreign Ministry for comment.
The coalition previously held a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in London on Oct. 24, where the allies confirmed new military support and discussed Ukraine's long-range capabilities.
French President Emmanuel Macron previously said that 25 countries are also ready to provide troops or other forms of support as part of post-war security guarantees for Kyiv.
As European allies gather to reaffirm their backing for Ukraine, uncertainties persist over Washington's next move.
Recent weeks saw unexpected turnarounds by U.S. President Donald Trump, who first floated supplying Ukraine with powerful Tomahawk missiles before dropping the idea in favor of a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Plans for the Budapest summit were soon scrapped, reportedly after Washington realized Moscow is not willing to concede its maximalist goals. Only days later, Trump imposed sanctions on Russia's oil giants, Rosneft and Lukoil.
Oleg Sukhov
