Russia hits out at Starmer’s Ukraine peacekeeping plan
Officials from around 20 largely European and Commonwealth countries took part in the latest talks about a peacekeeping coalition.
Russia has hit out at Sir Keir Starmer’s plan for British troops to form part of a peacekeeping force if there is a deal to end the Ukraine war.
The Prime Minister, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, has been seeking to build a “coalition of the willing” to defend a peace deal.
But Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the move would amount to the “direct, official and unveiled involvement of Nato members in the war against Russia” and “it can’t be allowed”.
Officials from around 20 largely European and Commonwealth countries took part in the latest talks about the coalition, it emerged on Thursday.
The talks on Wednesday involved more countries than the summit called by the Prime Minister in London over the weekend.
Not all the countries interested in the plan would necessarily provide troops to a peacekeeping force, but they could potentially contribute in other ways.
The UK has signed a deal with an Anglo-American security firm to provide Ukraine with more advanced attack drones as Sir Keir stressed the need to help Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops keep fighting.
The deal comes as Ukraine’s forces have seen President Donald Trump’s administration pause supplies of US military aid.
The Prime Minister said: “The fighting is going on and it’s a big mistake to think that well all we’ve got to do is wait for a deal now.
“We’ve got to make sure that if they are fighting on they’re in the strongest position and even if they go into negotiation that they’re in the strongest position.”
The announcement of the drone deal came as Defence Secretary John Healey prepared for talks with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth.
The agreement with Anduril will see cutting-edge Altius 600m and Altius 700m systems – designed to monitor an area before striking targets that enter it – being supplied to Kyiv to help tackle Russian aggression in the Black Sea.
The new contracts total nearly £30 million and are backed by the International Fund for Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence said.
The announcement comes amid concerns that the US move to halt intelligence-sharing with Ukraine will affect the country’s ability to use western weaponry and deprive it of advanced information about incoming threats.
Mr Healey said: “The UK has already provided more than 10,000 drones to Ukraine’s armed forces, which have proved vital in disrupting Russian troop advances and targeting positions behind the front line.
“With a £2.26 billion loan from seized Russian assets, plus £1.6 billion worth of air defence missiles announced for Ukraine in the last week, the UK is continuing to show leadership in securing a lasting peace for Ukraine.”
In Brussels, European Union leaders met Mr Zelensky for talks about support for Ukraine and increased defence spending.
The Ukrainian president thanked European leaders for their support, saying: “We are very thankful that we are not alone.
“These are not just words, we feel it.”
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has put forward proposals for an 800 billion euro (£670 billion) defence package for the European Union as it grapples with the prospect of Mr Trump reducing security assistance for Europe.
She said it was a “watershed moment”, adding: “Europe faces a clear and present danger and therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself, to defend itself as we have to put Ukraine in a position to protect itself and to push for a lasting and just peace.”
