Plans for guaranteeing Ukraine truce 'coming together', says Starmer after military leaders' meet in London

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday said that plans for allied countries to ensure a potential ceasefire in Ukraine are “coming together,” after a meeting of senior military planners from countries interested in his proposed coalition.

Around 25 to 30 military leaders gathered at a military base near London to discuss ways to secure any agreement aimed at ending the fighting in Ukraine.

After the talks, Starmer emphasised that the discussions aimed to convert the “political intention” of security guarantees for Ukraine into tangible “reality,” focusing on transforming concepts into actionable plans.

“Whether that’s in relation to what might happen at sea or air or defending borders, and those plans are coming together,” AFP quoted Starmer as saying.

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His comments came after he said earlier in the day that any peace deal would need to be “defended” to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from violating it.

“If there’s a deal, it has to be defended, because there (have) been deals in the past that haven’t had security arrangements and Putin’s taken no notice of them,” Sky News quoted Starmer as saying.

Starmer has been spearheading efforts to establish the coalition in partnership with French President Emmanuel Macron since US President Donald Trump initiated direct negotiations with Russia last month to resolve the three-year conflict.

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However, uncertainties persist regarding the group’s potential actions, particularly after Putin stipulated that any cessation of hostilities would require an end to Western military support for Ukraine.

“We hope there will be a deal but what I do know is if there is a deal, the time for planning is now,” AFP quoted Starmer as saying after the meeting.

“It’s not after a deal is reached,” he added.

Starmer and Macron have said they are willing to put British and French troops on the ground in Ukraine but Russia has said that it would not agree to soldiers from NATO countries being there.

The prime minister has said he welcomes any offer of support for the group, raising the prospect that some countries could contribute logistics or surveillance.

His spokesman on Monday highlighted engineering support, the use of airfields and the housing of crews as areas where contributions could be made.

With inputs from agencies