Starmer urges Putin to prove he is serious about peace by signing cease-fire

LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign a cease-fire in its war against Ukraine if he is serious about peace, and said allies will keep increasing the pressure on the Kremlin, including by moving planning for a peacekeeping force to an “operational phase.”

Following a two-hour virtual meeting of what he has termed the “coalition of the willing,” Starmer said the Kremlin’s “dithering and delay” over President Trump’s cease-fire proposal, and Russia’s “continued barbaric attacks” on Ukraine, “run entirely counter” to Putin’s stated desire for peace.

“We agreed that now the ball was in Russia’s court, and President Putin must prove he is serious about peace and sign up to a cease-fire on equal terms,” the prime minister said.

Around 30 leaders were involved in the call, including European partners such as French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Also present were Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as officials from NATO and the European Union’s executive.

Starmer convened the meeting, the second in two weeks, as a means of helping Ukraine in the face of a change of approach by the U.S., following the return of Trump, as well as gauging support for any future possible peacekeeping mission. Many more countries were involved this time than the previous meeting March 2.

He said there was a “stronger collective resolve and new commitments were put on the table,” both in relation to defending the deal and also on the wider issue of the defense and security of Europe.

Troops in Ukraine to safeguard peace

Starmer said all those attending had reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security, and agreed that Ukraine “must be able to defend itself and deter future Russian aggression.”

He added that “robust and credible security arrangements” are the best way to ensure lasting peace in Ukraine, and said military planners would convene again in the U.K. on Thursday to progress practical plans to support Ukraine’s future security.

Without providing precise details, Starmer again said the allies were ready to put troops into Ukraine in order to safeguard the peace after any cease-fire. The U.K. and France have been working to get Ukraine’s allies to provide troops, weapons or other aid to a European military force that could be deployed to reassure Ukraine and deter Russia from attacking again.

“We will build up Ukraine’s own defenses and armed forces, and be ready to deploy as a ‘coalition of the willing’ in the event of a peace deal, to help secure Ukraine on the land, at sea, and in the sky,” he added.

Cease-fire without conditions

The meeting took place in the wake of a U.S. proposal for a 30-day cease-fire in Ukraine, which Zelensky has backed. Putin has indicated that he supports a truce in principle but has set out a host of details that need to be clarified before agreeing to a cease-fire.

Starmer said Zelensky’s backing for an unconditional cease-fire shows that Ukraine is the “party of peace,” while Macron said it showed “courage.”

In a statement, Macron said Russia “does not seem to be sincerely seeking peace” and that Putin was intensifying the fighting before negotiating.

“This is the moment when our strategy of peace through strength comes into play,” he said. “If we want peace, Russia must respond clearly and the pressure — in coordination with the United States — to secure this cease-fire must be clear.”

Zelensky emerged from the meeting calling for strengthened sanctions to pressure Russia into accepting a cease-fire without conditions that could pave the way for a peace deal. In a series of posts on X, he said “Moscow understands one language” and that a 30-day cease-fire “without killings” would create a window in which “it would truly be possible to negotiate all aspects of a real peace.”

He also said it wasn’t up to Putin who is stationed in Ukraine after any peace agreement as he gave his backing to a European contingent on the ground with an American “backstop.”

“If Putin wants to bring some foreign contingent onto Russia’s territory, that’s his business. But it is not his business to decide anything about Ukraine’s and Europe’s security,” Zelensky said.

A potential problem for the coalition and for Zelensky is that Trump has given little or no support for any security arrangements that will involve U.S. military backing.

‘Good vibes coming out of Russia’

The U.S. has shifted its approach on the war since the return of Trump to the White House. The change of approach relative to that taken by President Biden became particularly notable after Trump clashed with Zelensky on Feb. 28 in the Oval Office.

Starmer has taken the lead, along with Macron, in assembling the “coalition of the willing,” in part to persuade Trump to maintain support for Kyiv. One outcome has already been a growing acceptance from European countries in particular that they need to do more to ensure their own security, including by increasing their defense spending.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s office said the German leader welcomed Zelensky’s readiness to enter an “unconditional” 30-day cease-fire and “stressed the significance of the American president’s leadership role.”

Trump voiced optimism Friday that Putin, who met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff earlier in the week, will back a cease-fire.

“I’m getting from the standpoint about a cease-fire and ultimately a deal some pretty good vibes coming out of Russia,” he said.

Ukraine, under severe military pressure on parts of the front line three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, has already endorsed the truce proposal. Russia’s army has gained battlefield momentum, and analysts say Putin likely will be reluctant to rush into a cease-fire while he feels he has an advantage.

“Sooner or later, Putin will have to come to the table,” Starmer said. “So, this is the moment, let the guns fall silent, let the barbaric attacks on Ukraine, once and for all, stop and agree to a cease-fire now.”

Fighting continues

Russia and Ukraine traded heavy aerial blows overnight Friday, with both sides reporting Saturday more than 100 enemy drones over their respective territories.

Ukraine’s air force said Saturday that Russia had launched a barrage of 178 drones and two ballistic missiles over the country overnight. The attack was a mixture of Shahed-type drones and imitation drones designed to confuse air defenses. Some 130 drones were shot down, while 38 more failed to reach their targets.

Russia attacked energy facilities, causing significant damage, striking energy infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, Ukraine’s private energy company DTEK said in a statement Saturday. Some residents were left without electricity.

“The damage is significant. Energy workers are already working on the ground. We are doing everything possible to restore power to homes as soon as possible,” the energy firm said.

Falling drone debris in Russia’s Volgograd region sparked a fire in the Krasnoarmeysky district of the city, close to a Lukoil oil refinery, according to Gov. Andrei Bocharov, who provided no further details. Nearby airports temporarily halted flights, local media outlets reported. No casualties were reported.

The Volgograd refinery has been targeted by Kyiv’s forces on several occasions since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, most recently in a drone attack Feb. 15.

Pylas writes for the Associated Press. John Leicester in Le Pecq, France, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.