Under the plan outlined by Starmer, France and the U.K. would lead talks on building a “coalition of the willing” to offer security guarantees to Ukraine in case a cease-fire is reached. The two countries have for weeks been involved in building a proposal to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine after a hoped-for truce has been negotiated with Russia.
But the talks have stalled due to the uncertainty over whether the Trump administration would provide a so-called U.S. backstop that would deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from sending his forces against Ukraine again.
“I’m not criticizing anyone here, but rather than move at the pace of … every single country in Europe, which in the end would be quite a slow pace, I do think we’ve probably got to get to a coalition of the willing now,” he said.
In Sunday’s interview, Starmer admitted he had not received assurances from Washington that the Trump administration would back European troops deployed to Ukraine.
Both Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have been engaged in intense diplomacy since the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy spiralled into a dismaying argument in the Oval Office on Friday, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance accusing Kyiv of failing to show sufficient gratitude. A planned press conference and the signing of a minerals deal were cancelled after the fractious encounter.
According to an official from the Elysée Palace, Macron has spoken with Trump, Zelenskyy, Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the last 48 hours.
In an interview with the Sunday weekly the JDD, the French president said coordination and “the need for action” would take place in London on Sunday, and later at an EU summit in Brussels scheduled for Thursday.
Mason Boycott-Owen contributed reporting from London.
