Sir Keir Starmer convened Ukraine’s allies on a virtual call today to gauge support for his and French President Emmanuel Macron’s “coalition of the willing” idea. Speaking at a news conference, the prime minister said international militaries would meet on Thursday.
false,Saturday 15 March 2025 14:02, UK
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Sky’s deputy political editor Sam Coates was in the room for us at the prime minister’s news conference a short while ago about a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
He says there was “one clear, united message”, which is that Sir Keir Starmer and all participants in the virtual meeting this morning “reject Vladimir Putin’s ‘yes, but’ approach to a ceasefire”.
“This coalition that stands with President Zelenskyy does not think that is good enough from the Russian leader. They are trying to box in the Russian government and put pressure on them to go further to end this conflict.”
Sam goes on to say that there are “bigger unknowns” following the news conference – one of which is the “clear signal” from Starmer that “he absolutely is relying on a US security guarantee in order to bring on board a ‘coalition of the willing’ who might be able to provide troops to Ukraine”.
“But there are many that don’t think that that US security guarantee is coming in any substantial way, based on the noises coming out of the US.”
That is a “big problem” for the PM, and as is the question about the remit of any potential peacekeeping force “given the limits on what UK and other troops might be able to do”, which was the subject of Sam’s question to Starmer at the news conference.
“I didn’t feel that the prime minister particularly answered the question,” he says.
“The problem is the prime minister saying there will be operational discussion on Thursday about what the ‘coalition of the willing’ could do, but unless you know the remit to which the operational decisions are made, then really it’s unclear what happens next.”
He explains that if UK troops could not engage with Russian troops for fear of conflict, then “what is the purpose of the coalition?”.
Watch Sam’s full analysis below…
Ukraine’s president has been speaking from Kyiv, having joined the call with world leaders this morning about a potential peacekeeping force.
Watch what he said now on Sky News, in the stream above, and at the link below.
Downing Street has been very cagey about which countries have joined Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘coalition of the willing’, saying it is for individual nations to make announcements.
While the precise commitments from each country remains unclear, No 10 has provided a list of which leaders joined today’s call.
Leaders of countries in Europe and around the world joined the call, plus the leaders of NATO and the EU. Here is the full list, in alphabetical order by country:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who spoke to European leaders on the call this morning, says “strong pressure” must be applied on Russia until they want peace.
He said on X: “Putin is lying to everyone about the situation on the ground, especially about what’s happening in the Kursk region, where our Ukrainian forces continue their operations.
“Our troops have also stabilised the situation on the front in Donetsk region — specifically Pokrovsk.
“Putin is also lying about how a ceasefire is supposedly too complicated.
“In reality, everything can be controlled, and we have discussed this with the Americans. The truth is, Putin has already dragged out the war for nearly a week after the talks in Jeddah. And he will keep dragging it out.”
He concluded the lengthy thread by saying: “Peace is possible. It’s possible when we all work together – for peace, for security guarantees, for ensuring that the aggressor gains nothing from this war.”
Sir Keir Starmer’s news conference about a peacekeeping force in Ukraine has concluded.
Scroll down to read what he said, and the answers to the questions from journalists.
Stay tuned for analysis from our experts, and the latest updates from Ukraine.
Asked can be done to bring Russia to the table, Sir Keir Starmer said there are “two points of pressure”.
The prime minister said: “The first is more military capability for Ukraine and fresh commitments put on the table this morning in that regard.”
The second, he said, is the set of sanctions on Russia.
“We want to tighten the sanctions still further. And we discussed this morning how much further we can go, including the question of frozen assets.
“That is a complicated, question, as I think everybody appreciates. So we discussed further sanctions that have got nothing to do with the assets, which we will take forward as a result of this morning’s discussion, but also a continuing discussion about, what more can be done on the assets themselves.”
It is put to Sir Keir Starmer next that there is a scenario that Putin continues to delay and does not agree to a ceasefire or peace deal, and there is no way to be certain that Donald Trump will side with the West, rather than Russia.
He is asked what the backup plan is, and he replies that the first job is “to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for whatever comes next”.
He hopes that will mean negotiations, rather than continued military fighting.
The PM continues: “We are obviously talking to the US every day about what happens next. I am clear in my own mind that President Trump is absolutely committed to the lasting peace that is needed in Ukraine, and everything he is doing is geared towards that end.”
He reiterates his view that the UK-US relationship is “the closest” of two allies, and will continue to be so.
The prime minister is now being asked about whether the deteriorating global security situation could lead to more countries seeking to possess nuclear weapons.
“On the question of nuclear weapons, obviously our position is that we will do everything we can to prevent any increase in the availability of nuclear weapons.”
The UK and France are the two countries in Europe that have nuclear weapons, and there has been some discussion of them extending their “nuclear umbrella” to shield allies on the continent following America’s threats to withdraw security assistance.
Next to ask a question is Sky’s deputy political editor Sam Coates, and he asks about the rules of engagement that would apply if British and European troops are deployed to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force, and how it will be effective if that force will not be able to return fire against Russia if needed.
Sir Keir Starmer replies: “The operational meeting [on Thursday] is where the discussions are taking place as to what the capabilities will be.”
He has indicated that he wants the UK “to play a leading role” through the provision of troops and air power, while other countries will provide different capabilities.
But first, a peace deal needs to be achieved, which requires pressure on Russia.
“If there’s going to be lasting peace, there’s going to have to be security arrangements,” the PM adds, noting that Putin has previously broken peace deals.
Asked about any US security backstop and if President Donald Trump is willing to provide such a guarantee, Sir Keir Starmer said the position on the US “hasn’t changed”.
“I’ve been clear that needs to be done in conjunction with the United States. As I think you know, we are talking to, the US on a daily basis.
“So the position on the doing this in conjunction with the United States hasn’t changed. And that’s why we’re having the detailed discussions that we are.”
Commenting on the wider issue of whether Russia will negotiate, Sir Keir said that collective pressure must be applied on Vladimir Putin to get him to the table.
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