Military officials to gather in UK in effort to plan Ukraine-Russia peace agreement

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced military officials from allied nations will gather in Britain on 20 March to come up with plans for strengthening a potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. 

This move follows a virtual summit that brought together 25 world leaders to discuss support for Ukraine on Saturday.

"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," Starmer said at a press conference following the virtual meeting with leaders participating in the “coalition of the willing.”

The summit was part of a broader effort to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine. 

Countries have agreed to accelerate practical work to support a potential peace agreement, with military officials set to present a “stronger and robust” plan to strengthen the peace agreement and guarantee Ukraine’s future security. 

This meeting builds on a similar gathering held two weeks ago.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the frequency of such meetings, stating, "Summits with partner countries on Ukraine are becoming almost weekly." 

The discussions also included the seizure of frozen Russian assets as part of intensified economic pressure on Moscow.

In related developments, France and Britain are coordinating negotiations among 37 countries regarding the formation of a “coalition of the willing” for Ukraine in case a peace settlement is reached. 

Prior to the UK meeting, US special envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Russia President Vladimir Putin to present a 30-day ceasefire proposal, agreed between the US and Ukraine on 11 March. 

Following the meeting with Witkoff, Putin claimed that Moscow would accept the ceasefire but demanded Ukraine freeze mobilization, military training, and foreign military aid deliveries during the 30-day period.

"If Putin is serious about peace, I think it’s very simple, he has to stop his barbaric attacks on Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire, and the world is watching," Starmer said, emphasising the need for concrete actions from Russia to demonstrate its commitment to peace.