UK to defend Ukraine peace deal with 'coalition of willing' - Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has suggested a coalition of European allies could step up and defend a potential deal for Ukraine to "guarantee the peace".

The prime minister indicated some EU nations could be prepared to increase defence spending to protect any peace deal that is agreed between Ukraine and Russia.

But speaking at a news conference following the summit of EU leaders in central London, Sir Keir acknowledged that no such coalition had yet been formed and warned that "not every nation will feel able to contribute".

Instead, he said "those willing" - though he did not state which countries this included - would "intensify planning now with real urgency".

In a sign this could mean troops from member states being sent to Ukraine, he added: "The UK is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air, together with others. Europe must do the heavy lifting."

The summit of EU leaders, along with Canada and Turkey, had been planned for over a week but took on an added urgency following the disastrous meeting between President Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday.

In front of the world's cameras, Mr Trump accused the Ukrainian president of "disrespecting" the United States and "gambling with world war three" when he expressed scepticism that Vladimir Putin cold be trusted to honour any ceasefire agreements.

The diplomatic breakdown intensified fears among some Western leaders that the United States could not be relied upon to support Ukraine militarily, with Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, posting on social media: "Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It's up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge."

Sir Keir has been positioning himself as a peace broker between the US and Europe following Mr Trump's ascension to the White House, but his task was made more pressing following the clash in the Oval Office - which he admitted he found "uncomfortable".

However, answering a question from Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby, the prime minister rejected the claim that the US was no longer a reliable partner.

"I do not accept that the US is an unreliable ally," he said.

"The US has been a reliable ally to the UK for many, many decades and continues to be. There are no two countries as closely aligned as our two countries. Our defence, our security and intelligence is intertwined."

He confirmed the UK, France and Ukraine would on a peace plan that will be presented to the US and that the White House would continue to be part of the process.

"The discussions we've had today, particularly the coalition of the willing, is on the basis that this is a plan that we will work with the US and that it will have U.S. backing," he said.

"That is the purpose of the plan and that is why I spoke to President Trump last night before we developed the work on this plan."