British PM believes that talks on ceasefire in Ukraine 'moving in positive direction'
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted progress in talks on peaceful efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine and colleagues from the Coalition of the Willing "reaffirmed" their commitments to a "multinational force."
Starmer said at an online meeting of the Coalition of the Willing that he believed progress was being made in a positive direction and that there were signs most of the text could be accepted, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had indicated.
The Prime Minister urged continued support for the negotiations, while recalling the fundamental principles that had guided the Coalition of the Willing for the nine months since its formation.
He noted that nine months had passed and that the Coalition of the Willing now included 36 countries. He said the guiding principles had always been that Ukraine must be able to defend itself in the future, that its sovereignty must be preserved, and that matters concerning Ukraine and its future must be determined by Ukraine itself. According to him, these remained the driving principles of the Coalition and of the ongoing negotiations.
Starmer added that the United States also acknowledged that issues relating to Europe and NATO required Europe and NATO members to be protected.
The Prime Minister stressed that work had to continue on preparing reliable security guarantees for Ukraine, calling such guarantees a key element of the U.S. draft peace plan. He added that the settlement had to ensure lasting peace, which he said would be impossible without robust security guarantees.
Starmer said that, in this context, planning and funding for the creation of the future Ukrainian Armed Forces needed to be prepared to ensure that Ukraine could defend itself.
He stated that the multinational Ukrainian force would be a vital component of this effort and that military planners, who had been working intensively in recent months, would continue developing the force’s readiness. He urged the participating colleagues to reaffirm their national commitments so that the most robust plans could be put in place.
He added that the leaders would also discuss the next steps with the U.S. military regarding their own planning.
Starmer concluded that only if Russia believed the coalition was serious about responding to any violations could the basis for a lasting peace be established. He also noted that it was encouraging that the United States had made progress on the relevant document in recent days.
