Steel Hedgehog, the line of the Willing for Kiev

The European front is seeking a crackdown on the war in Ukraine. It is calling for "transatlantic unity," urging the US to clarify what security guarantees it is prepared to provide to Kiev, and stressing the urgency of reaching a ceasefire, maintaining full pressure on Moscow, including through new sanctions should it continue to claim victims. From a European perspective, on the eve of the Washington summit, the focus remains on the idea of devising a mechanism similar to NATO's Article 5, which would establish the principle of collective defense for Kiev, where an attack on one triggers a response from all (though the Atlantic Alliance would not enter the fray here).

"Ukraine must be a steel hedgehog, indigestible to potential invaders," stressed EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Security guarantees are needed for both Ukrainians and Europeans, she explained, meeting with the press alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived unexpectedly in Brussels. The Coalition of the Willing is ready to contribute, she assured. Shortly thereafter, she and Zelensky joined a video conference coordinating the Coalition leaders ahead of the Ukrainian leader's meeting in Washington with US President Donald Trump. Speakers will include Giorgia Meloni, von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, and Keir Starmer, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Brussels is hoping for an acceleration that will soon lead to a trilateral meeting with Trump, Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin ("as soon as possible," von der Leyen hoped). Macron would like to extend this meeting to Europeans. So, once again, Kiev is being asked to negotiate on Ukraine's borders.

"Transatlantic unity is crucial at this time to achieve sustainable peace in Ukraine," European Council President Antonio Costa emphasized at the end of the video conference. "If a ceasefire is not agreed, the EU and the United States will have to increase pressure on Russia. Ukraine's sovereign right to determine its own peace terms must be respected." Clarifying the "hedgehog" idea, von der Leyen explained that Ukraine's allies want solid security guarantees, and called for no limits on Ukraine's armed forces or vetoes on its path to EU accession. "As long as the bloodshed in Ukraine continues, Europe will maintain diplomatic and, in particular, economic pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions. We have so far adopted 18 packages and are advancing preparations for the 19th, which will be presented in early September," von der Leyen emphasized. "The first security guarantee for Ukraine is a strong Ukrainian army," "solid and robust," Macron echoed.

Coalition leaders are now waiting to hear from Trump how he intends to commit to ensuring Ukrainian security, following the first significant overtures made during the Alaska meeting with Putin. "Our goal is to present a united front between Europeans and Ukrainians," the head of the Elysée Palace continued. "We will ask the United States to what extent and to what extent they are prepared to unite, given that we have put security guarantees on the table." "Firmness with Russia" will be needed, he warned, or any truce will only serve to prepare "for tomorrow's conflicts." Putin, after all, "doesn't want peace, he wants Ukraine's capitulation."