US-Ukraine talks on a possible peace for Kyiv will begin on Tuesday as defence chiefs prepare to gather in France to draw up plans for a “coalition of the willing” to safeguard the country’s security.
All eyes will be on Riyadh this week as discussions kick off between White House and Ukrainian delegations in the Saudi Arabian capital as part of an intensive week of diplomacy to find a deal to end the war.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told US president Donald Trump he wanted the talks in Riyadh to have a “positive outcome” that would see military aid and intelligence-sharing resume when the pair spoke on Monday evening.
Sir Keir Starmer said he hopes that US President Donald Trump will allow military aid for Ukraine to be restarted (Carl Court/PA)
The US leader paused the supply of weapons and crucial information for Kyiv’s war effort following his public spat with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Meanwhile, military chiefs from potential members of the so-called “coalition of the willing” will meet in Paris on Wednesday, with French officials indicating around 30 countries could take part.
Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin will attend for the UK before Defence Secretary John Healey meets opposite numbers from France, Germany, Italy and Poland in the French capital on Wednesday.
Sir Keir will lead a call with like-minded allies from the “coalition of the willing” on Saturday.
Defence Secretary John Healey and Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin will both take part in talks in Paris (Jonathan Brady/PA)
The call will involve leaders who have expressed an interest in contributing to or supporting a peacekeeping mission to deter Russia’s Vladimir Putin from launching a future attempt to conquer Ukraine if a deal to end the conflict is reached.
The meeting of defence ministers will also be attended by representatives from Nato and the European Union, with Ukraine’s Rustem Umerov dialling in.
Foreign ministers from the G7 – including David Lammy and US counterpart Marco Rubio – will meet in Canada from Wednesday to Friday.
Mr Lammy said he spoke to Mr Rubio and Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday “about how we keep the process for peace moving forward ahead of discussions in Saudi Arabia”.
The talks involving the US and Ukraine on Tuesday come after Mr Zelensky, Sir Keir and French president Emmanuel Macron agreed to work on peace proposals.
Not all the nations involved in the “coalition of the willing” are expected to commit to join a peacekeeping force, although they could offer logistical help for troops in Ukraine or other forms of support.
Sir Keir has stressed the need for Mr Trump’s US to provide a “backstop” security guarantee, a commitment to intervene if a European-led peacekeeping mission comes under threat.
Government insiders have warned of a “chicken and egg” situation where nations will not promise troops without US guarantees, but Mr Trump will not make commitments unless Europe steps up to defend itself.