Sir Keir Starmer has declared that a “coalition of the willing” will come together and draw up a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine.
The prime minister said this will be presented to US President Donald Trump for his support, after he clashed publicly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House last week.
Sir Keir unveiled his four-point plan for peace in the Commons on Monday, the day after European leaders – plus Canada and Turkey – hurriedly gathered in London for talks on the Ukraine war.
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He said this so-called “coalition of the willing” would enforce any peace deal in the war-torn country, and announced a plan for Kyiv to use £1.6bn of UK export finance to buy 5,000 more air defence missiles.
Washington has since paused military aid to Kyiv, with no indication of how long this could last.
Here, Sky News explains everything you need to know about Europe’s plan for peace.
What is Sir Keir Starmer’s four-point plan?
The prime minister has warned there are more tough choices to come on the war in Ukraine, insisting the UK must “lead from the front” when it comes to securing peace in Europe.
He did just that over the weekend, when 19 leaders gathered at Lancaster House to discuss building a lasting peace.
Led by the UK and France, the initiative could see troops from a number of European and NATO countries deployed to Ukraine as peacekeepers in order to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from rearming and attacking again in the future.
At its heart is a four-point plan, which was agreed by attendees of the security summit:
1. Any lasting peace must guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty and security
2. Military aid to Ukraine must remain, while increasing the economic pressure on Russia
3. If a peace deal is reached, Ukraine’s defences must continue to be boosted
4. European leaders will join forces in a “coalition of the willing” to devise a peace plan for Ukraine. This will be presented to the US
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What is the ‘coalition of the willing’?
The final point of Sir Keir’s plan points to a “coalition of the willing”, which will come together to devise a peace plan for Ukraine.
This could see troops from a number of European and NATO countries deployed to Ukraine as peacekeepers in order to deter Putin from invading in the future.
Sir Keir said Europe “must do the heavy lifting” on defence and indicated several countries had expressed interest in being part of the coalition.
Read more:
The ‘coalition of the willing’ that could secure peace in Ukraine
Britain must ‘lead from the front’ in Ukraine
This approach would allow NATO members to act in a group but not under the NATO umbrella, avoiding vetoes from member states who do not approve or do not wish to be involved.
It is not yet entirely clear who the “coalition of the willing” are, though the UK and France are likely involved. It is also likely the Baltic states – Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia – will sign up to the initiative.
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