Military chiefs to meet in UK next week - as Starmer confirms Ukraine peace effort ‘moving into operational phase’

By Alice Padgett

Sir Keir Starmer has said plans for Ukraine peacekeeping efforts set out by the 'coalition of the willing' are ready to move into an "operational phase" ahead of military chiefs meeting this week.

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The British Prime Minister held the virtual summit on Saturday morning, with some 25 fellow leaders in attendance - a group dubbed the “coalition of the willing”.

Sir Keir Starmer also confirmed coalition military chiefs are set to meet in London on Thursday as nations move towards "just a lasting peace in Ukraine".

The Prime Minister warned that Putin's "yes but..." as a negotiation tactic was simply "not good enough".

"Stop and agree to a ceasefire now", he said.

"We won’t sit back and wait for Putin to act, instead we will keep pushing forward".

Sir Keir said that the coalition will put pressure on Russia and "weaken their war machine" if Putin rejects a peace deal.

This comes as a virtual summit, held by the Prime Minister on Saturday morning, saw world leaders including French President Emanuel Macron gather online as they unite behind Ukraine.

Late on Friday, Donald Trump insisted that peace talks are going "really well", despite claims that Putin is trying to delay the deal.

During the news conference after the virtual summit, Sir Keir said a "a huge amount has happened" since he met with leaders in London earlier this month.

"President Zelenskyy has shown once again and without any doubt that Ukraine is the party of peace... but Putin is trying to delay, saying there must be a painstaking study before a ceasefire can take place.

"But the world needs action. My message is very clear, Putin will have to come to the table, so this is the moment, let the guns fall silent, let the barbaric attacks on Ukraine stop once and for all," he continued.

Sir Keir said Russia's "appetite for conflict and chaos undermines our security at home here in the United Kingdom".

He once again called for lasting peace, "backed by strong security arrangements through our coalition of the willing".

"We won't sit back and wait for Putin to act."

"Robust and credible security arrangements are the best way to ensure that any deal ends in a lasting peace. We agreed military planners would convene again in the UK this week to progress practical plans for how our militaries can support Ukraine's future security," he said.

"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.

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

"We agreed that in the case that President Putin refused to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, we would need to increase our efforts to strengthen Ukraine, weaken Russia's war machine and ratchet up pressure on President Putin to convince him to come to the negotiating table.

"To deliver this, we will accelerate our military support, tighten our sanctions on Russia's revenues and continue to explore all lawful routes to ensure that Russia pays for the damage it has done to Ukraine."

President Zelenskyy took to X to comment on the negotiations, saying that "Putin is lying to everyone" about the situation in the Kursk region.

It follows suggestions from Vladimir Putin that Ukrainian soldiers in the region had been surrounded by Russian troops.

Speaking in a press conference following the meeting of leaders, Zelenskyy confirmed he did not know what was discussed in Moscow between US and Russian officials.

He added that "peace must begin unconditionally" and "if Russia doesn't want this, then strong pressure must be applied until they do".

"Since Tuesday, a proposal for a ceasefire has been on the table — a silence from war in the air, at sea, and on the frontlines. This is an American proposal — a full, unconditional ceasefire for 30 days. In that time, without killings, it would truly be possible to negotiate all aspects of a real peace," Zelenskyy added on X following the meeting on Saturday afternoon.

"We talked about who would delay peace and slow everything down — and now we see it clearly. A ceasefire could have already happened, but Russia is doing everything to prevent it."

Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has urged the Prime Minister to seize frozen Russian assets to fund more support for Ukraine.

Responding to Saturday morning's meeting of the "coalition of the willing", the Liberal Democrat leader said: "Putin could end this war today if he wanted peace, but it's clear he's only interested in destroying Ukraine's sovereignty and turning it into a vassal state of Russia.

"The only way to achieve a just and lasting peace is to strengthen Ukraine. We must redouble our efforts to support their defence in the face of Putin's barbarism. If Ukraine loses, all of Europe will be less secure.

"The PM must now commit to seizing the frozen Russian assets in the UK and forge an agreement to do the same across Europe, to help strengthen Ukraine's hand and ensure we can achieve real peace."

Defence analyst says Donald Trump's desire for peace is 'genuine'

This comes moments after a virtual peace summit held by Sir Keir Starmer on Saturday morning.

Starmer's video call with as many as 25 countries includes European nations, the EU Commission, Nato, Canada, Ukraine, Australia and New Zealand.

"Putin is the one trying to delay It’s very simple, he needs to stop these barbaric acts in Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire," Starmer told world leaders from inside Number 10.

"The world is watching," he warned, "but - and this is a big but for us - we can’t simply sit back and wait for [peace] to happen."

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron both accused the Russian leader of adding unnecessary complications to the agreement.

In response, Starmer said the nations gathered behind Ukraine need to "keep the pressure on Putin".

"That means strengthening Ukraine so they can defend themselves… and secondly, being prepared to defend any deal ourselves, from the coalition of the willing.

"Thirdly," Starmer added, "given the developments of the last few days... keep the pressure on Putin".

Putin said on Thursday that he agreed with the US-brokered ceasefire deal in principle, but that there were "nuances" he thought needed to be addressed.

Onlookers believe those conditions include a requirement that Ukraine does not join NATO, and that its allies stop arming it.

Topics on the virtual meeting table are also set to include a further look into how each country may contribute to the coalition.

The countries involved will work to deter future Russian aggression should a peace agreement be brokered by US President Donald Trump's administration.

Speaking during a visit to the Justice Department on Friday, Trump said talks were "tough" but there have been some good results so far.

He said if he had not stepped in to put an end to the conflict, it could have resulted in World War III.

Before he convenes the meeting of world leaders, Sir Keir said: "We can't allow President Putin to play games with President Trump's deal.

"The Kremlin's complete disregard for President Trump's ceasefire proposal only serves to demonstrate that Putin is not serious about peace.

"If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious and enduring peace.

"If they don't, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war

Mr Putin has said "the idea is correct and we certainly support it", but signalled he wanted Ukraine to drop its ambition to join Nato, and for Kyiv to cede control of regions captured by the Russians during the course of the war, before he agrees to stop the fighting.