Sir Keir Starmer is in Paris with Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky as he fends off a litany of challenges to keep his so-called coalition of the willing afloat.
The prime minister is meeting his French and Ukrainian counterparts, as well as representatives from as many as 30 other countries, to hash out exactly what a peacekeeping force would look like following a deal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Chief among the challenges for the PM is to flesh out exactly what members of the coalition are willing to contribute in the event of a permanent ceasefire in Ukraine. But Sir Keir will also have to win the support of Donald Trump for the coalition, and convince him in turn that the force must form a part of the ceasefire after Putin ruled out accepting Nato troops in Ukraine.
The meeting comes days after Russia and Ukraine agreed to a US-brokered deal to pause attacks on ships in the Black Sea, seen as a major win for Putin. It underscores the Russian president’s success so far in dealing with President Trump, with the US administration reluctant to criticise the country responsible for the war despite launching repeated attacks on Zelensky and Ukraine.
It also underscores the unreliability of Putin, with UK officials pointing to readouts from Ukraine and Russia confirming a naval ceasefire was agreed before Russia “immediately backtracked and placed conditions on the agreements”.
Ahead of a press conference this afternoon, Sir Keir had strong words of condemnation for the Russian dictator. “Unlike President Zelenskyy, Putin has shown he’s not a serious player in these peace talks. Playing games with the agreed naval ceasefire in the Black Sea despite good faith participation from all sides – all while continuing to inflict devastating attacks on the Ukrainian people,” Sir Keir said.
In an appeal to the US as it holds further peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, he added: “Putin’s promises are hollow.”
Critics of the PM’s peacekeeping plans do not think his promises are hollow, but they do argue his aims are far too dependent on the Americans and Russians.
Only Britain and France have so far put their heads above the parapet to promise troops on the ground in the event of a peace deal in Ukraine. And, despite signing up for the coalition of the willing, too few of its constituent countries appear willing to publicly identify themselves as being involved. Far fewer are willing to go as far as Sir Keir and President Macron so far have. Sir Keir himself has said a presence on the ground in Ukraine is only sustainable with the US acting as a backstop.
But US vice president JD Vance summed up America’s contempt for the British and French-led coalition, dismissing the idea as a coalition of troops from “random” countries which have not been to war in decades.
At Thursday’s meeting, Sir Keir will present the outcome of talks between hundreds of military planners from across the globe, held at the UK military operational headquarters in Northwood over the last three days.
The intensive sessions considered “in detail” the structure of any future force to ensure Ukraine can defend itself from future Russian aggression, UK officials said.
The PM will call out Russian “obfuscation” in peace talks, back Mr Trump’s efforts to end the war and underline the importance of all countries in the coalition contributing either arms, cash or troops to a peacekeeping force.
