Keir Starmer unveils 'Coalition of the Willing' as he outlines four steps to peace in Ukraine
by Alice Padgett · LBCBy Alice Padgett
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said 'we are at a crossroads in history' after meeting with European leaders for critical Ukraine peace talks.
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Sir Keir Starmer said it is "time to step up" in Ukraine peace negotiations.
He said: "We are at a crossroads in history today. This is not a moment for more talk. It's time to act."
"This will be vital for protecting critical infrastructure and strengthen Ukraine," he said
It comes as French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Mr Zelenskyy and leaders from Germany, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Finland and Romania, as well as the head of NATO all attended the critical conference at Lancaster House in central London.
The Prime Minister outlined the four steps to peace in Ukraine.
He said: "First, we will keep the military aid flowing and keep increasing the economic pressure on Russia to strengthen Ukraine now.
"Second, we agreed that any lasting peace must ensure Ukraine's sovereignty and security and Ukraine must be appetained.
"Third, in the event of a peace deal, we will keep boosting Ukraine's own defensive capabilities to deter any future invasion.
"Fourth, we will go further to develop a coalition of the willing to defend a deal in Ukraine and to guarantee peace. Not every nation will feel able to contribute, but that can't mean that we sit back.
"Instead, those willing will intensify planning.
"Now, with real urgency, the UK is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the Air Together with others, Europe must do the heavy lifting."
Sir Keir said: "Through my discussions over recent days, we've agreed that the uk, France and others will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting.
"Then we'll discuss that plan with the United States and take it forward together.
"The purpose of today's meeting was to unite our partners around this effort to strengthen Ukraine and to support a just and enduring peace for the good of all of us.
"Our starting point must be to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position now, so that they can negotiate from a position of strength."
Sir Keir Starmer has said that he accepts "without criticism and with respect" the position of other countries who may not feel able to contribute to the so-called "coalition of the willing".
Asked whether he had been trying to persuade other nations to join it today, the Prime Minister said: "A number of countries have indicated today that they want to be part of the plan that we are developing.
"I'll leave them to make their own statements about exactly how they want to make that contribution."
He said: "The UK signed a £2.2 billion loan to provide more military aid to Ukraine, backed not by the British taxpayer, but by the profits from frozen Russian assets.
"And today I'm announcing a new deal which allows Ukraine to use 1.6 billion pounds of UK export finance to buy more than 5,000 air defence missiles which will be made in Belfast, creating jobs in our Berean defence sector."
Sir Keir said that we need to "boost" Ukraine's defences to deter any future invasion, and ensure Europe's security.
He added: "We have to learn from the mistakes of the past. We cannot accept a weak deal like that which Russia can breach with ease. Instead, any deal must be backed by strength."
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Sir Keir said that people in the UK have been affected by the war in Ukraine by consequences such as the increase in energy bills.
Asked whether there is now more of a real prospect of Britain being at war with Russia, Sir Keir Starmer said: "The reason I've been forward-leaning on this is because I want to avoid conflict, because I do not want conflict in Ukraine, in Europe (...) I want stability in the United Kingdom.
"The way to ensure that stability is to ensure that we are able to defend a deal in Ukraine, because the one thing our history tells us is that if there is conflict in Europe, it will wash up on our shores.
"Already, in the last three years, what's happened in Ukraine has had a massive impact on many working people back here in the United Kingdom because their bills have gone up, their energy bills have gone up. There's been an instability in our economy caused by that conflict, so we are not unaffected."
The Prime Minister added: "And of course, our own security and defence depends on the defence and security of Europe. So every step I am taking is in order to preserve peace, to avoid conflict, because the safety and security of the British people is my number one duty and responsibility, and I take it very seriously."
Sir Keir, who has said that his "driving focus" is to bridge the gap between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy after their explosive row on Friday, hopes to work out a European peace deal that he can then take to the US.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, told reporters that we urgently need "need to rearm Europe".
She added that Europe needs to "step up massively", and "member states need more fiscal space to do a surge in defence".
"We want the US to know that we are ready to defend democracy," she concluded.
After two hours of discussion, President Zelenskyy left before the other leaders and departed by helicopter to meet King Charles at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
Opening the conference, the Prime Minister said: "In my conversations in recent days, we agreed a group of us will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting, and then discuss that with the US and take it forward together.”
He told the leaders that they were at a "once in a generation moment for the security of Europe".
A large crowd of protesters gathered in central London to show their support for Ukraine. Sir Keir told the leaders this was a sign of the strength of feeling for Mr Zelenskyy's cause.
Before the summit itself, Sir Keir welcomed Ms Meloni to Downing Street for a meeting ahead of the summit. The two agreed on the need to avoid "the risk that the West divides" over Ukraine.
And in an earlier interview, Sir Keir insisted he trusted both Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy, and said that he believed the presidents wanted peace.
Meanwhile Russia's foreign minister praised Mr Trump for his approach to talks. "Donald Trump is a pragmatist,” Sergei Lavrov told a Russian newspaper.
“His slogan is common sense. It means, as everyone can see, a shift to a different way of doing things."
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Earlier on Sunday, Sir Keir told the BBC that he watched Friday's disastrous meeting descend into chaos in his office, adding that "nobody wants to see that."
He said he called Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy after the meeting to refocus on "a lasting peace in Ukraine".
He added: "My driving purpose has been to to bridge this, if you like, and get us back to the central focus. And as a result of the meeting yesterday, we had quite a long time with President Zelensky, then President Macron and President Trump on the phone.
"We've now agreed that the United Kingdom, along with France and possibly one or two others, will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting, and then we'll discuss that plan with the United States."
A security guarantee from the Americans is the subject of "intense" discussion, Sir Keir said.
He added: "For me, the components of a lasting peace are a strong Ukraine to fight on, if necessary, to be in a position of strength; to negotiate a European element to security guarantees, and that's why I've been forward-leaning on this about what we would do; and a US backstop.
"That's the package, all three parts need to be in place, and that's what I'm working hard to bring together."