Britain’s allies must be prepared to help strengthen Ukraine in case Vladimir Putin refuses to come to the table to negotiate peace, Keir Starmer has said – urging Russia to drop unreasonable demands and “let the guns fall silent”.
The Prime Minister confirmed planning for European peacekeeping forces are entering an “operational” phase.
And he told a Downing Street press conference military chiefs will meet next week to “put strong and robust plans in place to swing in behind a peace deal and guarantee Ukraine’s future security”.
Mr Starmer accused Putin of trying to “delay” a ceasefire by insisting on unreasonable conditions and “painstaking studies”.
“Sooner or later, Putin will have to come to the table,” he said.
“So, this is the moment, let the guns fall silent, let the barbaric attacks on Ukraine, once and for all, stop and agree to a ceasefire now.”
But pressed on whether there was a “plan B” should Putin not come to his senses, the PM accepted the “coalition of the willing” must be prepared to help Ukraine into a strong position even if peace talks fall apart.
“We will build up Ukraine’s own defenses and armed forces, and be ready to deploy as a ‘coalition of the willing’ in the event of a peace deal, to help secure Ukraine on the land, at sea, and in the sky,” he said.
“We need to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for whatever comes next. Whether that’s around the table, which is what I hope it will be, or if that doesn’t come to pass.”
He added: “We need as many countries as possible thinking together, discussing together and moving forward together as a group, which is what we’ve achieved this morning.”
His comments came after a virtual meeting with 29 other world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, at which Sir Keir said “new commitments” had been made on peacekeeping and tightening sanctions on Russia.
As well as European allies, the leaders of Australia, Canada and New Zealand also joined the call, as did Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte.
And Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had previously not been expected to joint the call, was among the list of attendees.
Asked about what action a peacekeeping force could take, Mr Starmer said this would be a subject of discussion between military chiefs on Thursday.
He said: “There are different capabilities from different countries, but those are the operational discussions that are going on in relation to what this coalition of the willing will be able to provide.”
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POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
After the meeting, President Zelensky called for tougher sanctions on Russia to force Putin to agree to a ceasefire without conditions.
In a series of posts on Twitter /X, he said “Moscow understands one language” and that a 30-day ceasefire “without killings” would create a window in which “it would truly be possible to negotiate all aspects of a real peace.”
And he said it wasn’t up to Putin who is stationed in Ukraine after any peace agreement as he gave his backing to a European contingent on the ground with an American “backstop.”
“If Putin wants to bring some foreign contingent onto Russia’s territory, that’s his business. But it is not his business to decide anything about Ukraine’s and Europe’s security,” Zelenskyy said.
Mr Starmer said there had been agreement on ramping up sanctions, and confirmed frozen Russian assets were discussed during the meeting with world leaders.
“In terms of the sanctions, yes, we want to tighten the sanctions still further, and we discussed this morning how much further we can go, including the question of frozen assets,” he said.
“That is a complicated question, as I think everybody appreciates.
“So, we discussed further sanctions that have got nothing to do with the assets, which we will take forward as a result of this morning’s discussion, but also a continuing discussion about what more can be done on the assets themselves.”
Putin has indicated he is open to a ceasefire in principle, but has aired a raft of details he insists must be clarified before Russia agrees.
Donald Trump said on Friday he was getting “some pretty good vibes coming out of Russia” on the prospect of a ceasefire and peace deal.
And Mr Starmer appeared optimistic that Donald Trump would not take Russia’s side if talks fall apart.
“I am clear in my own mind that President Trump is absolutely committed to the lasting peace that is needed in Ukraine,” he said.
“And everything he’s doing is geared towards that end. I’m also clear that the relationship between the UK and the US is the closest of relationships between allied countries, has been for decades and will continue to be for many years to ahead. So that’s the basis on which we are planning.”
