Live: UK’s Starmer calls for ‘maximum pressure on Russia’ over ceasefire in Ukraine

15/03/2025 - 15:28

Zelensky accuses Russia of delaying ceasefire to achieve a 'stronger position'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that Russia wanted to achieve a "stronger position" militarily before committing to any ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. 

"They want a stronger position before the ceasefire," Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv, adding: "I think the delaying of the process is exactly because of what I said. They want to improve their situation on the battlefield."

15/03/2025 - 15:14

'Path to peace must begin unconditionally'

15/03/2025 - 15:06

Any Ukraine peace plan needs US cooperation, Starmer says

Any Ukraine peace plan must involve the cooperation of the United States, British PM Starmer said on Saturday, after being asked whether he was still seeking a security "backstop" from Washington.

"The position on the US hasn't changed. I've been clear that it needs to be done in conjunction with the United States.We are talking to the US on a daily basis," Starmer told a news conference, adding his national security adviser had returned from the United States on Saturday.

15/03/2025 - 14:41

'Coalition of willing' will help secure Ukraine in event of peace, Starmer says

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday a so-called "coalition of the willing" group of Western nations would draw up plans to help secure Ukraine "on the land, at sea and in the sky" in the event of a peace deal with Russia.

After holding a virtual meeting of around 25 Western leaders, Starmer said in a statement: "We will build up Ukraine's own defences 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."

15/03/2025 - 13:58

Military chiefs to meet Thursday in UK on Ukraine peacekeeping force

Starmer said military chiefs would meet in the UK on Thursday to discuss plans for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine to protect any eventual ceasefire.

"We agreed to accelerate our practical work to support a potential deal, so we will now move into an operational phase," Starmer said.

He added that support for Ukraine must continue, including keeping "military aid flowing" and continuing sanctions to "weaken Putin's war machine and bring him to the table".

15/03/2025 - 13:54

EU's von der Leyen urges Russia to back ceasefire, says will step up European defence

Russia should back a ceasefire deal with Ukraine that could lead to durable peace, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said following the talks chaired by Starmer.

"We reiterate our support to Ukraine's agreement to a ceasefire. Now Russia has to show that it is willing to support a ceasefire leading to a just and lasting peace," she said in a message on X, thanking the UK premier for hosting the talks.

"In the meantime, we will support strengthening Ukraine and its Armed Forces... finally, we will step up Europe's defence efforts through ReArm Europe, boosting defence spending," she said.

15/03/2025 - 13:51

Starmer tells world leaders to 'keep the pressure' on Putin as talks end

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is giving a press conference following this morning's virtual summit, where 26 countries joined in a call to discuss support for Ukraine if a ceasefire is agreed on.

Starmer urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign up to the ceasefire proposal if he is "serious about peace".

The UK premier said the Kremlin’s "dithering and delay" over the US-backed ceasefire proposal, and Russia’s "continued barbaric attacks" on Ukraine, "run entirely counter" to Putin’s stated desire for peace.

"In the event of a ceasefire, we emphasized the need for strong monitoring arrangements, to ensure that any violations of a deal are identified and called out," he said.

15/03/2025 - 13:45

Italy's Meloni says no plans for Italian soldiers on ground in Ukraine

Italy does not envision sending soldiers to Ukraine, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said following a virtual summit hosted by Britain's Starmer.

"The Prime Minister confirmed that Italy intends to continue working with European and Western partners and with the United States to define credible and effective security guarantees, reiterating that national participation in a possible military force on the ground is not envisaged," Meloni's government said in a statement. 

15/03/2025 - 13:05

Zelensky says Ukrainian forces 'continue to hold back' Russian, North Korean troops in Kursk

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has denied any "encirclement" of Kyiv's troops in the Kursk region of Russia, a day after US President Donald Trump made the claim. 

"There is no encirclement of our troops," he said on social media, adding: "Our troops continue to hold back Russian and North Korean groupings in the Kursk region."

Zelensky said Russia was building up forces along Ukraine's eastern border, adding that the buildup "indicates an intention to attack our Sumy region", which borders Kursk.

15/03/2025 - 12:08

'Passportisation' process stamps Russian authority over seized Ukrainian territories

The Kremlin said last week it has issued 3.5 million passports for Ukrainian nationals in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts – four regions of Ukraine it claimed to have annexed in 2022.

According to President Vladimir Putin, Russia has now "virtually completed" the so-called 'passportisation' process in east Ukraine, which is a cornerstone of its authority in the territory.

Click on the link below for the full story by FRANCE 24's Joanna York.

15/03/2025 - 11:30

Starmer opens Ukraine talks, tells leaders to 'keep the pressure' on Putin

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told global leaders to "keep the pressure" on Russian President Vladimir Putin to back a ceasefire in Ukraine.

In his opening remarks Saturday to a virtual gathering of what he has termed the "coalition of the willing", Starmer said Putin will "sooner or later" have to "come to the table".

"If Putin is serious about peace, it's very simple, he has to stop his barbaric attacks on Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire," Starmer told the gathering that included leaders from several European nations, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The meeting is expected to delve into how countries can help Ukraine militarily and financially as well as gauging support for any future peacekeeping mission.

15/03/2025 - 11:17

Ukraine rejects Russian claim Kursk forces 'encircled'

Kyiv has denied its forces in Russia's Kursk region are at risk of being encircled, after US President Donald Trump said he had urged Russia's Vladimir Putin to spare them and avert a "horrible massacre".

FRANCE 24's Ukraine correspondent Gulliver Cragg brings us the latest.

15/03/2025 - 10:54

• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday warned Russia’s Vladimir Putin not to “play games” with a ceasefire proposal as he hosted a virtual summit of world leaders who support Ukraine.
• Starmer insisted that any peace plan must involve the US
• Russia and Ukraine traded aerial blows overnight, with both sides reporting more than 100 enemy drones over their respective territories.

15/03/2025 - 10:28

Ukraine says 14 injured in strike on Zelensky's hometown

The number of wounded in a Russian strike on Friday on President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown Kryvy Rig has risen to 14, Ukrainian officials have said. 

Kyiv said Russia attacked a residential area of the central Ukrainian city, which has been regularly targeted throughout the war.

"Fourteen people were wounded, among them two children," the head of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Sergiy Lysak, said on Telegram.  

Ukrainian prosecutors said the wounded children were a two-year-old and a 15-year-old. 

Lysak said the missile attack destroyed over a dozen large apartment buildings and 10 private houses. 

15/03/2025 - 10:25

Moscow says it recaptured two more villages in Kursk region

Russia says it retook two more villages from Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, where Moscow has mounted a quick offensive to drive Kyiv's troops out of swathes of Russian border territory. 

The Russian defence ministry said troops took control over the villages of Zaoleshenka and Rubanshchina – north and west of the town of Sudzha, the main town that Moscow reclaimed this week. 

15/03/2025 - 09:38

Russia says it downed 126 Ukrainian drones

Russia says it downed 126 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly over its southern Volgograd and Voronezh regions.

The defence ministry said 64 drones were intercepted over Volgograd and neighbouring Voronezh and the rest targeted border regions. 

15/03/2025 - 08:50

'Trump overestimated his ability to push Putin towards a ceasefire'

Eager for a "diplomatic success", US President Donald Trump has overestimated his ability to sway Russia's Vladimir Putin, says General Jean-Paul Palomeros, a former NATO Allied Forces Supreme Commander.

Click on the video below for his take on the diplomatic standoff over Washington's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

15/03/2025 - 08:11

Ukraine says it destroyed 130 Russian-launched drones overnight

Ukrainian air defences destroyed 130 out of 178 drones launched by Russia during its latest overnight strike, Kyiv's air force has said.

It added that another 38 drones had been "locationally lost", typically a reference to electronic jamming, and that Russian forces had also fired two ballistic missiles.

15/03/2025 - 08:09

Welcome to our liveblog

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is convening a second meeting of global leaders Saturday to discuss the developments regarding the war in Ukraine, following another frantic week of diplomacy aimed at getting Russia to back a 30-day ceasefire.

Unlike the first summit on March 2, the meeting of what Starmer has termed the “coalition of the willing” will be conducted virtually.

The call is expected to delve into how countries can help Ukraine militarily and financially as well as gauging support for any future possible peacekeeping mission. 

It comes a day after US President Donald Trump praised talks held with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the US-proposed ceasefire deal in Ukraine as "good and productive".

Yesterday's key events:

• President Donald Trump on Friday said the US had "good and productive discussions" with Russia's Vladimir Putin the day before, and that there was “a very good chance” of putting an end to the war.
• Trump also said his country had strongly urged Putin to spare the lives of Ukrainian troops Russia claims are surrounded in the Kursk region – a claim dismissed by Kyiv.
• French President Emmanuel Macron called on Russia to accept a proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine and stop making statements aimed at “delaying” the process.
• Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian troops were under mounting pressure in Russia's Kursk region but that the operation had eased pressure elsewhere on the front line.
• A Russian missile struck a residential area in Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih, in central Ukraine, injuring 14 people.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)