Sir Keir Starmer says military planning to support Ukraine peace deal is being ramped up

Accusing Mr Putin of trying to “delay” progress on a ceasefire, he said: “If Putin is serious about peace, it’s very simple. He has to stop his barbaric attacks on Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire.

“The world is watching. My feeling is that sooner or later he is going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussions.”

Saturday’s virtual meeting is aimed at continuing plans for a peacekeeping force of Western troops to be deployed in the event of a ceasefire, although Russia has indicated it would not accept Nato or European soldiers in Ukraine.

It included European leaders, representatives from Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Nato secretary-general and the leaders of the EU Commission and EU Council.

Sir Keir told his counterparts they could not “sit back and simply wait” for a ceasefire, adding: “We have to keep pushing ahead, pushing forward and preparing for peace, and a peace that will be secure and that will last.”

Following the Prime Minister’s address, the meeting heard from French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Zelensky and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte.

In a statement after the meeting, Sir Keir said: “We reaffirmed our commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security and agreed that Ukraine must be able to defend itself and deter future Russian aggression.

“Robust and credible security arrangements are the best way to ensure that any deal ends in a lasting peace.

“We agreed military planners would convene again in the UK this week to progress practical plans for how our militaries can support Ukraine’s future security.”

Previously, the Prime Minister has said the UK’s armed forces could be stationed in Ukraine as part of a security guarantee in the event of a peace deal.

“We will build up Ukraine’s own defences 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.

“In the event of a ceasefire, we emphasised the need for strong monitoring arrangements, to ensure that any violations of a deal are identified and called out.

“We agreed that in the case that President Putin refused to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, we would need to increase our efforts to strengthen Ukraine, weaken Russia’s war machine and ratchet up pressure on President Putin to convince him to come to the negotiating table.

“To deliver this, we will accelerate our military support, tighten our sanctions on Russia’s revenues and continue to explore all lawful routes to ensure that Russia pays for the damage it has done to Ukraine.”

The discussions follow a week in which American officials took a US-Ukraine proposal for a 30-day ceasefire to Moscow following talks in Saudi Arabia.

But, so far, the Kremlin has resisted calls for an unconditional ceasefire.

The Prime Minister added: “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 ceasefire on equal terms.

“The Kremlin’s dithering and delay over President Trump’s ceasefire proposal, and Russia’s continued barbaric attacks on Ukraine, run entirely counter to President Putin’s stated desire for peace.”

Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine launched drone attacks overnight, each reporting more than 100 enemy drones entering their respective airspaces.

No casualties have been reported and both countries’ defence ministries claim to have shot down around 130 enemy drones.