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Russia has hit out at Sir Keir Starmer’s plan for British troops to form part of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying it would amount to direct involvement in the war.
The prime minister, along with Emmanuel Macron, has been seeking to build a “coalition of the willing” to enforce any potential deal.
But Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said troops on its border would amount to the “direct, official and unveiled involvement of Nato members in the war against Russia”, adding: “It can’t be allowed.”
Britain has signed a deal with an Anglo-American security firm to provide Ukraine with more advanced attack drones, in contrast to Donald Trump’s White House which has paused supplies of US military aid and intelligence sharing.
“The fighting is going on and it’s a big mistake to think that, well all we’ve got to do is wait for a deal now,” the prime minister said. “We’ve got to make sure that if they are fighting on they’re in the strongest position and even if they go into negotiation that they’re in the strongest position.”
It came as defence secretary John Healey held talks last night with US counterpart Pete Hegseth. Mr Healey said he was “fixed” on seizing the opportunity for securing peace and that Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine and the US will hold talks to end the war in Saudi Arabia next week. Mr Healey said: “I’m fixed on the historic opportunity the president has created to bring a lasting and secure peace to Ukraine. It’s the detail of those discussions which are rightly behind the scenes that the defence secretary and I will now pursue.”
Mr Hegseth meanwhile dismissed as “garbage” accusations that Washington had taken a pro-Russia stance. “The press is interested in narratives. Our president is interested in peace,” he said. He also reiterated that the arms supply freeze to Ukraine is temporary.
Britain’s agreement with Anduril will see cutting-edge Altius 600m and Altius 700m systems – designed to monitor an area before striking targets that enter it – being supplied to Kyiv to help tackle Russian aggression in the Black Sea. The new contracts total nearly £30m and are backed by the International Fund for Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence said.
It comes amid concerns that the US move to halt intelligence-sharing with Ukraine will affect the country’s ability to use Western weaponry and deprive it of advanced information about incoming threats.
In Brussels, European Union leaders met Mr Zelensky for talks about support for Ukraine and increased defence spending.
The Ukrainian president thanked European leaders for their support, saying: “We are very thankful that we are not alone. These are not just words, we feel it.”
Leaders also agreed a £670bn defence package for the European Union as it grapples with the prospect of Mr Trump reducing security assistance for Europe.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said it was a “watershed moment”, adding: “Europe faces a clear and present danger and therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself, to defend itself as we have to put Ukraine in a position to protect itself and to push for a lasting and just peace.”
Moscow said President Macron’s offer of peacekeeping troops was “extremely confrontational”.
“Unlike their predecessors, who also wanted to fight against Russia, Napoleon, Hitler … Mr Macron does not act very gracefully, because at least they said it bluntly: ‘We must conquer Russia, we must defeat Russia.’”
Former president Dmitry Medvedev mocked him on social media, calling him “Micron” and saying he “poses no big threat”.
“He’ll disappear forever no later than May 14, 2027. And he won’t be missed,” Mr Medvedev wrote.
And Mr Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt Gen Keith Kellogg, said the suspension of military help to Mr Zelensky is already having an impact, adding that the Ukrainians “brought it on themselves”.
“The best way I can describe it is sort of like hitting a mule with a two-by-four across the nose,” Mr Kellogg said at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations. “You got their attention.”
