Zelensky thanks Starmer for support after Paris talks

Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Sir Keir Starmer for his support after European allies stepped up plans to deploy troops to secure any peace deal with Russia.

The Ukrainian president posted a message on X in response to a picture of himself, Sir Keir, French president Emmanuel Macron and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte holding talks in Paris on Thursday.

Following the discussions in the French capital with dozens of leaders, Sir Keir Starmer said top brass from the UK, France and Germany would head to Ukraine for talks with Kyiv’s military chiefs to discuss plans for a force to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from attacking again if there is a deal to end the war.

He also said Mr Putin must be given a deadline to make progress on a Ukraine ceasefire, and accused him of “playing games” and attempting to drag the Donald Trump-initiated process out to allow his forces time to continue assaults on Ukraine.

It comes as reports suggested that the US is pushing for a new deal with Kyiv that would give America control over Ukrainian minerals and energy assets.

The allies who gathered in Paris agreed “we should be setting a framework and a deadline of delivering real progress, and that we should hold them to that deadline”, Sir Keir said.

He also told reporters that the “coalition of the willing” had agreed that Russia was “filibustering”, saying: “They are playing games, and they’re playing for time.

“It is a classic from the Putin playbook. But we can’t let them drag this out while they continue prosecuting their illegal invasion.”

The Financial Times reported on Thursday evening that Washington is pushing for a new minerals deal with Ukraine which would give the US a greater say over Kyiv’s minerals and energy resources such as oil and gas.

UK officials are of the view that it is up to Ukraine to decide on any agreement it enters with regards to sovereign natural resources.

The FT reported that it is a new draft deal, recently sent to Ukraine by the US.

Last month Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky had been expected to sign a minerals deal at the White House, but the Ukrainian leader left after a public confrontation with the US president in the Oval Office.

The meetings in Paris came after Ukraine and Russia agreed to pause hostilities in the Black Sea following talks with the US in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Trump has been pressing European nations to up their defence spending in recent months, and there have been questions over what this means for the transatlantic relationship on security.

A senior Cabinet minister admitted on Thursday that the US president is “of course” a “part of the change” that ministers have referred to in recent weeks.

Ahead of her spring statement earlier this week, Rachel Reeves said the “world has changed” as she pledged to keep to her spending rules.

Speaking to Sky News, Pat McFadden said: “The international security position has obviously changed.

“We’ve been asked to step up in a very direct way on European security as part of the backdrop for the increase in defence expenditure that the Government announced a couple of weeks ago.”

Pushed further on whether Mr Trump was the changing factor given the war in Ukraine started several years ago, Mr McFadden added: “Of course he’s part of the change.”

He said: “He’s not all the change… he’s said that Europe needs to step up in its security. He’s not the first US president to say this but the question has definitely become sharper in recent weeks.”

The so-called “coalition of the willing” meeting in Paris also agreed there should be no easing of sanctions against Russia.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration appeared to signal its intent to ease sanctions on Russian agricultural goods and improve Moscow’s access to maritime insurance, ports and payment systems as part of a deal.

But Ukraine and its European allies have firmly pushed back against any suggestion of lifting sanctions, agreeing instead to increase measures to bring Russia to the negotiating table.

Sir Keir said there had been “complete clarity that now is not the time for lifting of sanctions”, while Mr Zelensky said sanctions were “one of the few real tools the world has to pressure Russia into serious talks”.

Thursday’s meeting also saw Sir Keir update the group of 30 nations, plus Nato and the EU, with the outcomes of a series of military planning talks for a possible peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

Officials and defence chiefs have been holding talks at London’s Northwood military headquarters throughout the week, drawing up a strategy to support Kyiv and deter future aggression from Moscow.