European leaders paraded down a red carpet in Paris on Monday to announce the next phase of the Ukraine war — a new anti-ballistic missile coalition, billions in fresh loans, and a seat at the table for the defense contractors who stand to profit from all of it. Working Americans will foot the bill while their own border stays wide open.
The so-called Coalition of the Willing — France, Germany, the UK, and their allies — gathered to reaffirm commitment to Kyiv's war effort even as the conflict drags into its fourth year with no end in sight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the summit that anti-ballistic defense is Ukraine's "top priority" and announced that, for the first time, defense companies would join the talks at the leader level. The meeting included "leaders, national security advisors, and defense companies from countries that can make a concrete contribution to building a new anti-ballistic system," Zelenskyy posted on X.
Nine European nations — Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom — signed onto a new integrated anti-ballistic missile coalition with Ukraine. In a joint statement, the countries declared: "We believe that the protection of Europe requires a global solution of integrated missile defence architecture to deter and defeat future missile threats." The project is described as "purely defensive" — the same word NATO uses before every expansion.
French President Emmanuel Macron struck a martial tone, telling his country's armed forces hours before the summit: "Yes, we cherish freedom and the rule of law. And yes, we stand ready to fight to defend them. Always, and at the cost of blood if necessary." DW framed Macron's remarks as a stirring defense of European values; The Guardian buried the substance beneath red-carpet photo coverage of leaders arriving.
Follow the money. The UK has joined a €90 billion EU loan to cover Ukraine's defense, The Guardian reported. That is astronomical spending on a foreign war while fentanyl pours across the U.S. southern border and kills Americans every day. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas admitted there is still no agreement on a 21st sanctions package against Russia — meaning the coalition can agree on spending billions but can't agree on the measures they claim will actually pressure Moscow.
Notably absent from the anti-ballistic coalition's member list: the United States. But don't think American taxpayers are off the hook. The U.S. has already sent well over $100 billion to Ukraine. Every European commitment frees up American dollars to be spent elsewhere — or ensures the U.S. will be asked to match whatever Europe ponies up next.
The Kremlin said it would "closely follow" the Paris meeting and blamed the Coalition of the Willing for continuing the war. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Syvrydenko submitted her resignation the same day — a domestic shake-up that neither outlet connected to the Paris spectacle, but that raises questions about Kyiv's internal stability even as its allies promise more weapons.
A coalition of the willing to spend other people's money on an endless war, or a coalition willing to secure its own borders first? That's the question no one on the Paris red carpet bothered to ask.
