Moscow claims Sir Keir Starmer's peacekeeping force would put the UK 'in war with Russia'

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday that the move would amount to the “direct, official and unveiled involvement of Nato members in the war against Russia” and “it can’t be allowed”.

He also said: “If you put troops in a territory, you probably don't want to negotiate any conditions, because you're creating facts on the ground."

Earlier in the week, Donald Trump claimed that the US had “received strong signals that they [Russia] are ready for peace”.

Officials from around 20 largely European and Commonwealth countries took part in the latest talks about Sir Keir and Mr Macron’s coalition in Brussels yesterday.

Not all the countries interested in the plan would necessarily provide troops to a peacekeeping force, but they could potentially contribute in other ways.

Volodymyr Zelensky joined to thank Europe for its support after his row with Mr Trump, saying: “We are very thankful that we are not alone. These are not just words, we feel it.”

The UK signed a deal with an Anglo-American security firm to provide Ukraine with more advanced attack drones as Sir Keir stressed the need to help Mr Zelensky’s troops keep fighting.

The deal comes as Ukraine’s forces have seen President Donald Trump’s administration pause supplies of US military aid.

The Prime Minister said: “The fighting is going on and it’s a big mistake to think that well all we’ve got to do is wait for a deal now.

“We’ve got to make sure that if they are fighting on they’re in the strongest position and even if they go into negotiation that they’re in the strongest position.”

The announcement of the drone deal came ahead of talks between Defence Secretary John Healey and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth in Washington DC last night.

The agreement with Anduril - named after Aragorn’s sword in the Lord of Rings trilogy - will see cutting-edge drones – designed to monitor an area before striking targets that enter it – being supplied to Kyiv to help tackle Russian aggression in the Black Sea..

The new contracts total nearly £30 million and are backed by the International Fund for Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence said.

On the new deal, Mr Healey said: “The UK has already provided more than 10,000 drones to Ukraine’s armed forces, which have proved vital in disrupting Russian troop advances and targeting positions behind the front line.

“With a £2.26bn loan from seized Russian assets, plus £1.6bn worth of air defence missiles announced for Ukraine in the last week, the UK is continuing to show leadership in securing a lasting peace for Ukraine.”

The announcement comes amid concerns that the US move to halt intelligence-sharing with Ukraine will affect the country’s ability to use western weaponry and deprive it of advanced information about incoming threats.

The impact of this was already being felt with several British humanitarian volunteers narrowly surviving a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, not far from the nuclear base in Zaporizhzhia in central Ukraine.

Four people were killed in the ballistic missile strike, which hit a hotel full of charity workers.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited RAF Northolt yesterday as the Government kept up its focus on improving the UK’s defence sector.