Prime Minister Milojko Spajic (Europe Now Movement) was invited to the summit of the Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine, which was held on January 6 in Paris, but did not go to the gathering, so it was held without a Montenegrin representative - "Vijesti" has learned from the government.
The executive branch did not respond to the editorial staff's question yesterday as to why no one from Montenegro, not even the Prime Minister, was at the summit of the informal group of countries that expressed their readiness to guarantee Ukraine's security after the end of the war with Russia. The summit included the French President Emanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a declaration of intent to send multinational units “for the defense, reconstruction and strategic sustainability of Ukraine”.
The portal "Antena M" announced yesterday that they were told by the French Embassy in Podgorica that all members of the coalition, of which Montenegro is a part, had been invited to a meeting on January 6 in Paris.
The Coalition of the Willing is made up of more than 30 countries that are members of the European Union (EU) and NATO, including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Australia, Canada, Japan, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Turkey... It was formally established on 2 March 2025, when Starmer and Macron announced the initiative at a summit in London, as a framework for stronger international support and future security guarantees for Ukraine. The United States is not formally in the coalition, but it supports it.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MVP) told "Vijesti" that Montenegro, as a responsible NATO member and a leading country in the European integration process, has so far participated in the work of the Coalition of the Willing in various formats, including at the highest level, "thus confirming its readiness to support allies and partners in providing assistance to Ukraine and achieving lasting peace, which, once established, must not be called into question."
At the same time, they say, Montenegro supports efforts aimed at establishing solid security guarantees that would preserve Ukraine's sovereignty and prevent any future aggression.
"In this context, Montenegro does not plan to send members of the Montenegrin Army to Ukraine after peace is established. However, we remain ready, after peace is achieved, to contribute to the recovery, development and strengthening of Ukraine's defense capacities through other appropriate forms of cooperation and support, in accordance with our international obligations and partnerships," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
They recall that since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Montenegro has consistently provided political, financial, humanitarian and military support to that country, both bilaterally and through participation in multilateral forums and mechanisms of NATO and the EU.
"Along this line, Montenegro is participating in allied initiatives aimed at providing assistance to Ukraine and contributing to achieving a just, lasting and sustainable peace," the MFA said.
Strengthening support for Kiev and achieving lasting peace, they added, are key goals of the Coalition of the Willing, whose work Montenegro supports, while, they added, "recognizing the efforts of the US President." Donald Trump and the US administration aimed at ending the conflict”.
"We believe that a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine is essential not only for the security of Ukraine, but also for the stability of Europe as a whole, whose voice must be heard and respected," they said.
Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović He recently said in an interview with "Vijesti" that, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Montenegro has continuously provided support to that country in defending its sovereignty and the principles of international law.
"During that period, we sent ten packages of military assistance with a total value of over 10 million euros, tailored to Ukraine's real needs and our objective capabilities," he said.
In addition, as he added, Montenegro, as a member of NATO and a candidate for EU membership, also provided financial support through international mechanisms.
Krapović also said that significant funds have been allocated this year in accordance with the decisions of the NATO Summit in Washington 2024, through the NATO Security Assistance and Training Trust Fund for Ukraine (NSATU), managed by the United Kingdom, as well as through the recently established NATO mechanism, the Priority Ukraine Requests List (PURL).
Continued military aid and arming of Ukraine
The Coalition of the Willing, with US support, agreed to continue military aid and weaponry to Ukraine as a “first line of defense and deterrence.”
This, as announced after the Paris summit, will include, among other things, military aid packages, support for Ukraine in financing its armed forces, and enabling access to arms stocks in the event of future armed conflicts.
Some countries said immediately after the meeting that they would not send soldiers to Ukraine, such as Italy, while Spain and the EU announced their intention to do so.
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