Starmer among European leaders in Ukraine for 'coalition of the willing' talks

Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders for talks in Kyiv on the "coalition of the willing".

The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time - arriving in the capital by train - with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It comes after Donald Trump called for "ideally" a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected "the US and its partners will impose further sanctions". Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are "rowing in behind" the US president, who referred to his "European allies" for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal," he said. "It's the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue." Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for the coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.

Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement voicing support for Ukraine and calling on Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire. "We reiterate our backing for President Trump's calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace," they said.

"Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace." The leaders said they were "ready to support peace talks as soon as possible". But they warned that they would continue to "ratchet up pressure on Russia's war machine" until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.

"We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come," their statement added. "We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine." ????Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim on your podcast app???? Read more:Russia's VE Day parade felt like celebration of warMichael Clarke Q&A on Ukraine warUkraine and Russia accuse each other of breaching ceasefire The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine's capital where flags represent those who died in the war.

They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the "coalition of the willing" to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force. This force "would help regenerate Ukraine's armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace.