The Big Question: Can the Crazed U.K. ‘Coalition of the Willing’ Sabotage the Ukraine Peace Talks?

March 17, 2025 (EIRNS)—President Trump and President Putin are set for a phone discussion Tuesday, March 18, on Ukraine and other topics. The big question right now is, can the mad dog U.K. “Coalition of the Willing” sabotage this process now underway of major powers in consultation? Nothing is settled, but on Feb. 12, Trump and Putin spoke by phone, resuming direct, top-level contact between the two major powers, suspended for some three years. Subsequently, delegations of the two nations have met, and on March 11, delegations from the U.S. and Ukraine met toward prospects for settlement. Language for a ceasefire was discussed.

At the very same time, the motion in Europe is intense—public and covert—to prevent a resolution of the Ukraine conflict, and gear up for war. To begin with, after the U.S.-Ukraine meeting in Jeddah, the narrative was instantaneously spun out that, “the ball is in Russia’s court”—a narrative designed as a ploy, so that when Russia, as can be expected, objects to unacceptable ceasefire “security” terms (attributable in no small part to British “experts”), such as having peacekeeper forces from NATO member nations deployed in Ukraine, Russia can then be billed as the perpetual, dastardly enemy, against which the military buildup in Europe is required.

“The ball is in Russia’s court,” Kaja Kallas said today in Brussels. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kallas spoke to reporters before a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, to confer on the Ukraine situation. On Thursday, March 20, Sir Keir Starmer will host military officials in London from the EU and 25+ nations for his “Coalition of the Willing” gaggle, to commit to huge militarization. Also on March 20, continuing for two days, is the EU heads of state meeting in Brussels, including with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and others, to follow-up the “ReArm Europe Plan,” which foresees €800 billion euro over the coming period, intended to convert what’s left of the European economic base to a war economy.

Schiller Institute leader Helga Zepp-LaRouche today summarized the current strategic situation, as running along on “two tracks”: First, the track leading potentially to a positive resolution in Ukraine, with benefit for other zones of conflict; and the second track, of war preparation madness, leading to doom.

Today, key Russian security considerations for any Ukraine ceasefire and settlement, were spelled out yet again, this time by Alexander Grushko, Deputy Foreign Minister. In an Izvestia interview posted today, he warned, “If we look at the strategic concepts approved by NATO and development in the European Union, as well as the nature of NATO deployments along our borders, we will see that we are talking about long-term plans that the West is not trying to adapt in any way to a future peace agreement….”

He dismissed a lot of the chatter about a “peace package” as a “lot of hot air,” because it “puts the cart before the horse,” in talking about peacekeeping before any agreement has even been negotiated. On the loud discussion in Paris, London, Brussels and elsewhere about deploying forces into Ukraine, he said sternly, “Peacekeeping and NATO are incompatible things.” He said, ’We absolutely do not care under what label NATO contingents can be deployed on the territory of Ukraine, be it the European Union, NATO, or in their national capacity. In any case, if they appear there, it means that they are deployed in a conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict."

Zepp-LaRouche pointed out the exceptional madness in Germany for militarization, and suppression of democracy. Tomorrow, March 18, is the vote in the Bundestag on measures necessary for lifting the “debt brake” in the Constitution, to make way for moving on the proposed €400 billion war economy expenditure. This is a blatantly rushed vote, to take place before the newly-elected Bundestag members are seated in a few days, who would not be expected to approve these measures. There is no precedent for this. Yes, the German Constitutional Court may have recently approved the trickery, on legalistic grounds, but not on legitimacy, respecting the recent elections. What happens in the Bundestag tomorrow, and related events, constitutes a cold coup d’état. Zepp-LaRouche warned, “this forebodes nothing good for German politics in the next period.”

Zepp-LaRouche reported on Germany as one part of the disarray, chaos, and danger across the European Union at present. This underscores the urgency of people responding to her call issued March 8, titled, “Instead of Rearming for the Great War, We Need To Create a Global Security Architecture!” One of the topics at the next International Peace Coalition meeting on Friday, March 21, will be on the “disappearance of democracy in Germany.” It seems that, when it comes to democracy, and the war drive, it’s “now you see it, now you don’t.”

It is worth noting the terrible events unfolding in Southwest Asia at this time. Violence against minorities in Syria continues. In Gaza, Israel continues to withhold or severely limit daily food flows. In Yemen, for the third day in a row, the U.S. has conducted brutal strikes. President Trump issued a fierce communication, asserting that Iran is responsible for whatever Yemen does, and there will be dire consequences. In response, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami today warned against any attack on Iran.