\n
The leaders of 26 countries in a \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d have agreed to step up pressure on Russia to back a ceasefire in Ukraine, but UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer admitted the US was still not prepared to provide a military \u201cbackstop\u201d to ensure it lasts.<\/p>\n
On Saturday Starmer hosted a video meeting at which the group of mainly European countries agreed to step up military support for Ukraine and to increase sanctions on Moscow to force Russian President Vladimir Putin into serious peace talks. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Kremlin\u2019s dithering and delay over President Trump\u2019s ceasefire proposal, and Russia\u2019s continued barbaric attacks on Ukraine, run entirely counter to President Putin\u2019s stated desire for peace,\u201d Starmer said. \u201cA position of \u2018Yes, but\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009\u2019 isn\u2019t good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking in Downing Street, Starmer confirmed that the group of countries would \u201cdouble down and increase sanctions\u201d on Russia, including looking at the option of seizing Russian assets to intensify pressure on Putin.<\/p>\n
British officials said a number of countries had made new offers to send troops to Ukraine to help secure a peace deal but declined to say which ones. US President Donald Trump has yet to offer a security backstop.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe position of the US has not changed,\u201d Starmer said. \u201cWe have been clear this has to be done in conjunction with the US.\u201d He said Britain was speaking to the US on a daily basis. <\/p>\n
Starmer launched what he called a coalition of the willing at a summit in London two weeks ago, with the assembled countries considering varying levels of support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Most of the countries on Saturday\u2019s call were from Europe, but the participants also included Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The EU and Nato were represented along with Ukraine. Starmer said that Japan, which was not on the call, had offered \u201cbacking\u201d. <\/p>\n
Britain and France are the only countries so far to have firmly committed to send troops to Ukraine to help guarantee a peace deal, although others are open to the idea. Some have offered financial or logistical support.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy feeling is that sooner or later Putin is going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussions,\u201d Starmer said at the start of the video call on Saturday, adding that the \u201cball is in his court\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut \u2014 and this is a big but for us this morning in our meeting \u2014 we can\u2019t sit back and simply wait for that to happen. We have to keep pushing ahead, pushing forward and preparing for peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starmer told the meeting it was time for less talk and more \u201cconcrete commitments\u201d and he claimed at a press conference after the talks that progress had been made in a number of areas.<\/p>\n
The leaders agreed to make preparations for a force to be sent to Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement to act as a \u201crobust\u201d guarantee, with talks at a military planner level due to be held in London on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Starmer said the leaders had agreed to increase financial and military support for Ukraine in the short term but also in the longer term, to help Kyiv provide its own security guarantees.<\/p>\n
He stressed the need for US backing for any peacekeeping operation, saying the risk was that \u201cwe will repeat the experience of recent years and Russia will breach the line again\u201d.<\/p>\n
He also confirmed that the leaders discussed beefing up sanctions if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire. Downing Street said that seizing more than \u20ac200bn of frozen Russia assets was being considered. <\/p>\n
Number 10 conceded that seizing Russian assets \u2014 as opposed to using interest accruing from them to support Ukraine, as it currently does \u2014 was \u201ca complex situation\u201d. <\/p>\n
Starmer said in a statement after Saturday\u2019s meeting that the leaders would \u201ccontinue to explore all lawful routes to ensure that Russia pays for the damage it has done to Ukraine\u201d. <\/p>\n
France and Germany, which have long opposed a full-blown seizure of assets held in the EU, are warming to the idea and are discussing with the UK and others ways in which they could be used as part of a negotiation to end the war. <\/p>\n
Britain and France have offered to put troops on the ground to help secure the peace \u2014 but only if a proposed initial 30-day ceasefire holds \u2014 while other countries are much more reluctant to commit direct military support.<\/p>\n
Starmer told the meeting that the \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d had to help \u201cmonitor a ceasefire\u201d during a proposed 30-day truce. That would initially involve satellites and surveillance rather than the deployment of troops to Ukraine, UK officials said.<\/p>\n
Countries including Germany and Poland have reservations about sending troops to Ukraine. The office of Giorgia Meloni, Italy\u2019s prime minister, said Italian participation in a \u201cpossible military force on the ground was not envisaged\u201d.<\/p>\n
Dick Schoof, Dutch prime minister, said on X that the Netherlands would join the meeting of military planners in London on Thursday \u201cin the context of security guarantees\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, said the ball was in Putin\u2019s court. \u201cIn the meantime, we will support strengthening Ukraine and its armed forces,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will step up Europe\u2019s defence efforts through ReArm Europe,\u201d she added, referring to new Brussels initiatives aimed at increasing national defence spending.<\/p>\n
Additional reporting by Amy Kazmin in Rome and Andy Bounds and Henry Foy in Brussels<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The leaders of 26 countries in a \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d have agreed to step up pressure on Russia to back a ceasefire in Ukraine, but UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer admitted the US was still not prepared to provide a military \u201cbackstop\u201d to ensure it lasts. On Saturday Starmer hosted a video meeting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":135344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[8574,1254,11111,22009,1483,3737,11729,2172,3729],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-135343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance","tag-bid","tag-call","tag-coalition","tag-hosts","tag-pressure","tag-russia","tag-starmer","tag-step","tag-ukraine"],"yoast_head":"\n
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