The gist of the “Coalition of the Willing” summit, which met on Monday the 24th in Kiev, partly in person and partly remotely, was this: to wage all-out war with Russia. With the resulting decisions.
Military exercises in Poland
The first of these decisions concerns the confirmation of military exercises to be held in Poland between October and November, under the direction of France and Great Britain, which will participate with 1,500 soldiers. This is the first initiative of its kind managed by the “willing,” and official statements themselves do not rule out the possibility that part of the deployed contingents could remain on the Ukrainian border as a bridgehead for the future deployment of the “Multinational Force Ukraine,” which would become operational after a hypothetical ceasefire.
But this hypothesis, far from being a call for a possible end to hostilities, is, on the contrary, a guarantee that the “Western” front is moving with the will to prosecute the war to the bitter end. Russia has reiterated, even in recent days, that it considers the presence of NATO troops on Ukraine’s borders unacceptable, while also rejecting the other key element of the phantom peace plan Zelensky referred to: a simultaneous and symmetrical withdrawal of the two armies and the establishment of a buffer zone in Donbass under international control and/or administration. This proposal was ruled out by Lavrov, who stated that it was unthinkable for Russian territories to be administered by third countries and organizations.
This fall’s military exercises in Poland and the possibility of maintaining a permanent contingent on Polish soil once again breach one of the many “red lines” declared impassable and systematically violated during these four and a half years of war. No longer just military advisors, “volunteers” enlisted in Kiev’s army, electronic warfare experts, and so on, but actual operational troops on the ground. It’s no coincidence that the leading role in the operation (the extent of which we will be able to assess in the coming months) is being played by the two countries that, amid the US-led decline/transformation of the Atlantic Alliance, aspire to be the cornerstone of the continent’s new military balance, thanks to their autonomous nuclear weapons and field experience.
Italy, however, like Germany, has ruled out the deployment of troops, emphasizing the dispatch of electrical generators, essential to weather a winter that promises to be extremely harsh. But this does not mean that the Meloni government intends to scale back its war effort, but rather that it will increase military supplies while forgoing the deployment of troops. This decision aligns it with Berlin, which is also the main funder of Kiev’s war effort.
In reporting the news, newspapers emphasized that the Meloni government is thus maintaining its firm position regarding these meetings, deciding not to participate directly but to connect via video link from Palazzo Chigi. A way to flaunt a difference with European partners, in homage to his supposed role as a bridgehead with Washington, recently ridiculed in the controversy with Trump. In reality, it’s a purely media ploy, reminiscent of Clinton many years ago, when the then-US president confessed to smoking a joint “but without inhaling”… Well, Meloni also “didn’t inhale.” Nonetheless, his government is deeply immersed in the military and business maneuvers of the war in Ukraine.
Building long-range missiles in Ukraine
This brings us to the second decision of the summit of the willing, which demonstrates the will to continue and further deepen the war against Russia.
The Kiev meeting, in fact, gave the green light to a massive plan for the construction of medium- to long-range missiles directly in Ukraine, thanks to the sharing of the confidential data necessary for their construction, which still lacked the approval of the British Prime Minister. These are the Scalp missiles, produced by MBDA, a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems, and the Italian Leonardo. This is no small decision, as it greatly expands Kiev’s ability to strike deep into Russian territory, not only with the swarms of drones now produced in large quantities by the Ukrainian military industry, but with far more powerful and sophisticated weapons, capable of inflicting far greater damage on Russia than the (very significant) damage it has already suffered. Indeed, Kremlin leaders promptly declared that they are already working to identify and destroy the sites where they will be produced.
The possibility of building medium- to long-range missiles locally in partnership with France and the UK therefore overcomes one of the limitations of Ukraine’s offensive capabilities, which the Zelensky government had attempted to address by requesting Germany to supply Taurus missiles, a request that has remained unanswered.
But the construction of long-range missiles is not the only novelty in this escalation of war, nor is it limited to the decisions of Paris and London. Italy, too, while moving quietly, is demonstrating a firm resolve not to be left behind in military support for Kiev. Indeed, the German think tank Kiel Institute has certified that Rome ranks last in Europe in terms of the value of military supplies to Ukraine: from Germany’s €24.9 billion to the United Kingdom’s €15.8 billion, France’s €6.3 billion, and finally Italy’s €3 billion (excluding non-military funding). But the Meloni government is determined to strengthen this position, as it does not intend to lose ground compared to other EU states, relying on a world-class defense industry.
Meloni-Mattarella’s Italy is doing its part…
So the thirteenth “Aid Decree,” which will become effective in October, steps in to fill this gap. According to what has emerged from the programs, though classified by the government, the plan includes the supply of Samp-T anti-aircraft batteries, NG version, capable of intercepting and destroying ballistic missiles, Aster 30 interceptors, and long-range Kronos radars, all weapons jointly produced by Italy and France. These are devices whose supply had been suspended because stocks in the two countries’ warehouses had reached minimum levels, and production has already been increased to cope with this new round of military aid. Repubblica, in an article dated August 26, claims to have received confirmation of the government’s commitment in this direction. Thanks to EU funding, four Samp-T NG batteries will be developed. Experts say their performance is equal, if not superior, to the more famous US-produced Patriots. Trump appeared to have approved their licensed production in Kiev, only to later reverse his decision. It’s no coincidence that Zelensky, while awaiting the Italian-French batteries, has asked the US administration for access to at least five percent of US stockpiles.
Regarding the Aster 30 NIBT interceptors, Rome and Paris have reportedly authorized their local production, thus contributing to a substantial leap in Ukraine’s autonomous weapons production. While waiting for the agreement to become operational, Italy will send a supply from its own stockpiles by October, as will France. Regarding long-range radars, Paris will supply six, produced by its company Thales, and Italy one, produced by Leonardo.
While there’s war, there’s hope, as the old movie went. And besides, the journalists at La Repubblica, belonging to the “progressive” (!) media world, don’t hesitate to inform us that “the overall value of the entire operation [the supply of weapons to Kiev with the thirteenth aid decree – no.] should be close to three billion euros…. It will save many civilians from the bombings, strengthen the fight against the invaders, and create jobs in our industries.” In short, the war economy “will” save us…
… and is banking heavily on Leonardo and Leonardo Ukraine LLC
And Leonardo is precisely a key player in the Italian war industry, on whose strengthening the government is placing many of its cards.
As is known, Leonardo Ukraine LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leonardo International, was recently established. Reading the official press releases of this group provides a clear idea of the operations of the war industry, of which Leonardo is a leading exponent, a champion of Made in Italy in the field of instruments of death.
But let’s hear from Leonardo himself. This company “looks with interest at the technologies and military applications developed by Kiev in the war with Russia… a partnership that should include forms of cooperation with the Ukrainian drone industry, … where the Italian group is consolidating the LBA Systems joint venture with the Turkish company Baykar… Leonardo will also test the Michelangelo Dome in Ukraine, the integrated, multi-domain air defense system it is developing.” Ukraine’s advantage, says CEO Lorenzo Mariani, “lies not only in the ability to produce large numbers of drones at low cost, but in the speed with which each solution is tested, corrected, and re-deployed.” Note, in passing, the aseptic language with which these “defense operators” talk about field tests: how many deaths did the drone cause? How much destruction did it cause? These are the tests the aforementioned CEO refers to.
Leonardo also cooperates with Brave 1, the Ukrainian state hub that brings together around 2,500 companies and over 5,000 technological solutions, including more than 500 drone manufacturers, over 300 companies specializing in electronic warfare and signals intelligence and more than 200 developers of AI-based products. A wide-ranging cooperation between the Italian and Ukrainian war industries, the latter quickly becoming a real hub for the production of armaments and war devices at a European level, on which the Zelensky government is aiming to relaunch the economy of a now devastated country.From the granary of Europe and, in some ways, of the world, to a large factory of death for third parties.
From what we have briefly reconstructed, it is clear that Monday’s Kiev summit marks a further escalation of the war between NATO and Russia on Ukrainian soil.
Reviving opposition to the reactionary war between NATO and Russia
The theses that we have supported since the outbreak of the conflict are confirmed, starting from the one mentioned above: the war in Ukraine is a reactionary war between NATO and Russia, conducted by both fronts for the purpose of domination, which reopens the struggle for a new division of the world, following the crisis of the planetary hegemony of the “Western order”.
Those who thought that the conflict would be resolved in a sort of blitzkrieg, acting as a factor in rebalancing interstate relations, must surrender in the face of evidence. It has lasted for more than four years and shows no sign of ending, despite the terrible massacre of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian and Russian proletarians, the destruction and the unspeakable suffering it has caused. And it is destined to last and worsen, as confirmed by the decisions of the “Coalition of the Willing” and Russia’s threats of retaliation, because both fronts cannot accept a defeat, which would take on the character of a threat to their strategic interests, a real existential threat.
The war in Ukraine represented a turning point for world capitalism, significantly shifting the conflict from the economic to the military terrain. It has given impetus to a gigantic arms race and militarism throughout the old continent, exponentially strengthening the trend towards a new world conflict. In the countries of the European Union, the allocations for war have grown enormously, both in the budgets of each individual country and with the activation of common debt lines, overcoming in the space of one morning “financial rules” considered untouchable.
At the same time, the progressive militarization of all social life is being imposed, with ever closer integration between the army, war propaganda, schools and universities; we return to arguing about the need to overcome the voluntary nature of enlistment and reintroduce compulsory conscription (as in the preparatory measures prepared by the German government); we are moving towards the war economy, with the reconversion of civilian businesses for war purposes and the reorganization of the infrastructures themselves in this sense (strengthening and finalizing the railway lines for the transport of armaments); democratic rights are being restricted everywhere, with increasing limitations on the right to strike (an example of which in Italy is the extension of law 146 to private logistics); repression against fighting movements is becoming more severe in all sectors, from protests against the so-called “major works” to movements for the right to housing, from protests against environmental degradation to those of solidarity with the Palestinian resistance and against the genocide in Gaza; new crimes are created and penalties are increased with the aim of preventively or by force pacifying the internal front in view of the wars in preparation. Everywhere, class political organizations, conflictual unions, social bodies that promote struggles and mobilizations are increasingly pointed out as internal enemies, those who work against national interests, the “defeatists” to be isolated and prosecuted.
The bourgeois parties, right and left, fuel war propaganda, on their own and through the mass media they control, justifying it as an unavoidable necessity. In the Corriere della Sera on Tuesday 25th, to give just one example, we find an article by Goffredo Buccini who laments the EU’s lack of determination “despite the presence of the Volenterosi and the precious Anglo-French operational push for the cause of Ukrainian freedom”. Not only that. The columnist ridicules the growing sacrifices that the war imposes (“between 50 and 70 euros per capita” just…) and does not hesitate to state that “… schools and hospitals become rubble if they are not defended by credible armed forces against any aggressor.”
The article pays tribute to Zelensky, “the hero who galvanized the resistance against the invader,” and fittingly concludes by recalling the repression in Russia with the phrase, “We should try to remember him… waiting for the Patriots.”
A relentless, shameless propaganda, built on a chain of lies, in which the Democratic Party (PD) stands out, a staunch supporter of the war against Russia and, if anything, critical of Meloni’s understatement.
The war between NATO and Russia, therefore, is a war against the Ukrainian proletariat, against the Russian proletariat, and against the proletariat of all countries. While the ruling classes deploy every tool at their disposal to drive the exploited to slaughter one another, for us, as internationalist revolutionaries, the order is the opposite: defeatism on both sides of the front against the oligarchs and generals of NATO and Ukraine, and against the oligarchs and generals of Russia and its allies.
In all situations, we must commit our forces not only to affirming this “principle,” but to enforcing it in every initiative, in every mobilization, to ensure that workers’ struggles, protests against the war economy and the sacrifices it imposes on proletarians, all social battles and those against militarization, the arms race, and repression are closely intertwined with this strategic cornerstone, contributing to the formation of an international camp of the exploited capable of opposing the opposing imperialist forces.
And this is all the more necessary at a time when the war in Ukraine, despite its growing escalation, appears to be forgotten, both by the masses of workers and within militant circles themselves.
In the Strait of Hormuz as in Kiev, the space for peaceful resolution of conflicts is increasingly limited. The march toward a new world conflict, capable of swallowing up and destroying human civilization itself, can only be halted by definitively settling accounts with capitalism. This is possible only with the organized action of the proletarian, peasant, and exploited masses, who represent the vast majority of the human population. Reviving the fight against the war in Ukraine from a defeatist and internationalist perspective is an integral part of this effort.
August 27, 2026