Lana Lam
Live digital reporter

Image source, PA Media

Now is the time to put "maximum pressure on Russia", Keir Starmer says, as international collaborations to bring peace to Ukraine saw the "coalition of the willing" vow to move to an "operational phase" of practical planning.

In a news conference shortly after a virtual summit, Starmer says the coalition is bigger than it was two weeks ago - when the term was first floated after a meeting of European leaders and Canada.

As negotiations continue on Ukraine's future, the world will be watching closely.

Ukraine's allies will meet once again on Thursday for military talks, with the aim of nailing down the details on what types of support will be on the table if a ceasefire deal is agreed.

We're pausing our live coverage for now, but you can stay across the latest developments in our news story.

Unless Trump's stance changes, Starmer's coalition could struggle to get off the groundpublished at 16:49 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March

16:49 GMT 15 March

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Keir Starmer says the "coalition of the willing" is now bigger and that “new commitments” are on the table, though he didn’t spell these out.

This morning’s participants, he said, had agreed to keep military aid flowing to Ukraine and tighten restrictions on the Russian economy, to weaken Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

Planning, he said, would now move to an “operational phase”, with military chiefs due to meet in the UK next Thursday.

“Overall, we are successfully gathering political and military momentum,” he said.

It’s likely that we’ll see a rolling set of political, diplomatic and military gatherings as the plan slowly takes shape.

It’s far from plain sailing.

Asked about vital US military support for any European-led operation – what’s being called a “backstop” – the prime minister was clear: the US position had not changed.

European national security advisors, including Jonathan Powell - one of those credited with convincing President Zelensky to accept the US ceasefire proposal - were in Washington yesterday.

Unless Donald Trump’s position on the backstop changes, Keir’s coalition of the willing could struggle to get off the ground.

Lana Lam
Live reporter

As conversations continue over a possible peace deal for Ukraine, we've taken stock of what some of the key players have been saying in recent days:

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer

• Now is the time to put "maximum pressure" on Russia, Starmer says, in order to shift Vladimir Putin's "yes, but" position on a ceasefire, adding this should be the moment the "guns fall silent
• Speaking after this morning's virtual meeting of Ukrainian allies, Starmer says the so-called "coalition of the willing" are moving to an "operational phase" of logistical planning

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky

• Zelensky says "peace must begin unconditionally" and reiterated that "strong pressure" must be applied on Russia as it's "dragging" the war out
• He also accuses Putin of "lying" about a ceasefire being "too complicated" and pushes back on Kremlin claims that Russian soldiers have surrounded Ukrainian troops in Kursk, the region where Ukraine's forces launched a surprise incursion last August

Russia's President Vladimir Putin

• Putin says Russia "in favour" of a ceasefire but "there are nuances" and "questions" about the nature of the truce
• A ceasefire should lead to "an enduring peace and remove the root causes of this crisis", he says, adding "we need to negotiate with our American colleagues and partners...maybe I'll have a call with Donald Trump"

US President Donald Trump

• Trump says talks between Russia and America earlier this week in Moscow had been "good and productive"
• Trump, in a post on social media, describes the talks as providing "a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end"

Cachella Smith
Live reporter

The notion of seizing frozen Russian assets was one of the topics discussed by leaders in the meeting earlier today.

Calling it "complicated", the prime minister did say the conversation on this would continue. It comes after other political figures, including his own foreign secretary, David Lammy, have positioned themselves in favour.

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, around $325bn worth of assets were frozen by the G7, alongside the EU - that's a financial sanction imposed by the government which restricts named individuals and entities from accessing assets held in the country.

As a reminder, the UK is currently using the proceeds from these assets to support Ukraine. Other European countries are doing the same.

However, actually seizing them could come up against legal issues in international law.

The European Central Bank's president, Christine Lagarde, has previously warned that such a move risked "breaking the international order... you would want Russia to respect".

Earlier this month, Lagarde said it was not a debate for the European Central Bank.

However, she added: "The international law basis on which any decision is made will matter as far as other investors are concerned."

Starmer today said sanctions will continue in a bid to "bring [Putin] to the table" but a decision on seizing assets remains to be made.

Laura Kuenssberg
Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has told the BBC that it is "still too early" to talk about putting troops on the ground as part of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine after the prime minister's summit this morning.

Earlier, Keir Starmer said military planning would move into an "operational phase" with a meeting this Thursday.

Stubb said that Finland was willing to be part of efforts to defend a peace deal, but "it is too early to talk about boots on the ground because we don't have a ceasefire, we don't have a peace process".

"Once we have a clear plan, we start doing the commitments," he says.

There is "anywhere from zero to 50 different ways they can help out, boots on the ground is only one way," Stubb says, and adds it is "too early to commit".

Starmer has repeatedly called on other European countries to commit to concrete measures that could help provide security for Ukraine in the event that a ceasefire deal is reached.

In Ukraine's plight for peace, the military clock is tickingpublished at 15:41 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March

15:41 GMT 15 March

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

For President Zelensky, the military clock is ticking, especially in Kursk, where his troops have been occupying a shrinking sliver of Russian territory since last August.

Ukraine vehemently denies reports that its forces are surrounded in Kursk – a theory promoted by Donald Trump yesterday – but they are clearly under enormous pressure and they’re losing ground.

When I was in Kyiv towards the end of last year, Ukrainian troops told us they were holding onto territory in Kursk as a bargaining chip to be played in future negotiations.

But as those negotiations approach, it’s a chip that Vladimir Putin seems determined to remove from the table first.

That may go some way towards explaining his “yes, but” approach to the idea of a 30-day ceasefire.

Image source, Getty Images

As we mentioned earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a news conference following the virtual summit of Ukraine allies - here are the key takeaways:

Putin must show support for the end of the war by agreeing to a ceasefire, Ukraine's president said, as he called the US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah a "diplomatic victory".

He outlined that security guarantees in Ukraine need to be "reflected on paper", amid his hopes that America will put "pressure" on Russia.

Zelensky thanked the EU for its plan to put €150bn towards strengthening Europe’s defence capacity.

On Ukraine's "reconstruction", as mentioned by both Turkey and Germany, Zelensky said this shows belief that the war can be ended.

He said there is a need for some form of "boots on the ground" after the ceasefire, although he admitted that some are "sceptical".

He added that Ukraine's army should be "strengthened" to guarantee future security.

Image source, EPA

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says that his country "will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes", adding that "it is the right thing to do".

Following the virtual summit, hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Albanese says on X that the war in Ukraine is a "struggle for the international rule of law".

"President Putin's regime has imperialist designs, for Ukraine and beyond," he continues.

Albanese says that Australia has committed $1.5bn to Ukraine, which includes $1.3bn in military support and the training of Ukrainian forces.

Image source, Getty Images

Some more now from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who says in a statement on X that "Putin is lying to everyone" about the situation in Kursk and the ceasefire deal.

Ukraine troops seized territory in Russia's Kursk region in a surprise attack last summer, but Russian forces have slowly been retaking areas.

Putin claims Ukrainian soldiers are now surrounded by Russian forces in the region, but Zelensky says there's no evidence for this.

The Ukrainian leader adds that Putin is "lying about how a ceasefire is supposedly too complicated".

"The truth is, Putin has already dragged out the war for nearly a week after the talks in Jeddah. And he will keep dragging it out," he says.

• For more on the situation in the Kursk region, the BBC's Diplomatic correspondent James Landale has taken a closer look

We're hearing now from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who says that "peace must begin unconditionally" and "if Russia doesn't want this, then strong pressure must be applied until they do".

Zelensky attended a virtual summit of Ukraine's allies earlier today, where he reiterated his belief that Russia's silence on the 30-day ceasefire shows that "Putin will keep dragging" the war out.

"A ceasefire could have already happened, but Russia is doing everything to prevent it," he adds in a statement on X.

"This is Russia’s war - more than three years of full-scale fighting and destruction," the post says. "To stop this, active pressure is needed, not just talks."

Security guarantees are "key to making peace reliable and lasting", he continues, and "peace will be more reliable with European contingents on the ground and the American side as a backstop".

He ends with a call to unite not just Europe and the G7 but "all other countries around the world for the sake of peace".

"The world must understand that Russia is the only obstacle preventing peace."

The Ukrainian president has also held a news conference following the virtual summit, which you can follow by clicking watch live at the top of this page. We will bring you the latest updates as we get them.

If you're just joining us, we've just heard Keir Starmer speaking following a virtual summit of 25 Ukraine allies, where future security arrangements and more sanctions on Russia were discussed. Here are the key takeaways:

• The prime minister said now is the time to apply "maximum pressure" on Russia and "the world needs actions...not empty words and conditions"
• He described Ukraine as the "party of peace", while Putin continues to "delay" steps towards a ceasefire
• This should be the moment that the "guns fall silent " Starmer told a press conference
• Starmer said military leaders will meet on Thursday to move to an "operational phase" of logistical planning and to "accelerate practical work"

• He said the so-called coalition of the willing has grown over the last two weeks and new commitments were made this morning - though he did not give specific examples

Image source, Getty Images

Starmer says he does not accept the terms of peace talks need to be "frozen as they are today".

"If we apply pressure [on Putin], we show collective resolve and some clear-eyed leadership on this, we can move this forward to get the parties around the table for negotiations," he says.

The result of those negotiations needs to be the "just and lasting peace" that everybody wants, especially the Ukrainians, Starmer says.

Peace in Ukraine is "very important" to the defence and security of Europe as well as the UK because the impact of what happens in Europe "always washes up on our shores".

And with that, the press conference comes to an end.

Starmer is asked whether Russia's frozen assets will be seized and what else could be done to apply pressure on Putin.

Starmer says today's summit discussed ways to boost Ukraine's military capability in both the short and long term, something which he says will apply pressure on the Kremlin.

He says "fresh commitments" were "put on the table" and he sees Ukraine playing an "important" part in its own security arrangements in the event of a peace deal.

The prime minister adds that the leaders discussed "how much further we can go" in tightening sanctions on Russia, including whether Russia's frozen assets could be seized, a topic he calls a "complicated question".

That conversation will continue, Starmer says, including on what more can be done with those assets.

Starmer now takes a question from the BBC's Hannah Miller, who asks for examples of concrete commitments made during today's summit.

He says that much has changed since a meeting two weeks ago with European leaders on Ukraine's future.

The group that met this morning is a "bigger group than we had two weeks ago," he adds.

We have a "stronger collective resolve," Starmer says, and "new commitments were put on the table this morning" - but the prime minister does not disclose specific examples.

The attendees agreed that we must now move to an "operational phase", he continues, and we are gathering "political and military momentum".

Starmer adds that now is the time for "maximum pressure on Russia".

Image source, Getty Images

Starmer says the "coalition of the willing" brings together partners from across the EU, as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand and backing from others including Japan.

He adds that the efforts of those supporting Ukraine must continue, including keeping "military aid flowing" and continuing sanctions to "weaken Putin's war machine and bring him to the table".

He tells the press conference that the moment has come to "accelerate practical work" needed to move towards a peace deal.

Moving into an "operation phase" will see military forces meeting on Thursday to back up a possible ceasefire.

"This is the moment to keep driving towards the outcome that we want to see: to end the killing, a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and lasting security for all of us," he says.

Image source, Getty Images

Keir Starmer begins by saying that Ukraine has shown "beyond any doubt" that it is the "party of peace" - and Russia's Vladimir Putin is "trying to delay".

"The world needs action...not empty words and conditions. So my message is clear, sooner or later, Putin will have to come to the table," he continues.

"This is the moment that the guns fall silent," Starmer says.

The chaos created by Russia hurts people in the UK including by driving up living and energy costs, he says.

Keir Starmer has just started speaking at a press conference following this morning's virtual summit, where 26 countries joined in a call to discuss support for Ukraine if a ceasefire is agreed on.

We'll bring you his comments as soon as we get them.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attended today's virtual summit, her office has confirmed - but she says Italy does not intend to participate in a military presence in Ukraine.

As we reported earlier, there was some doubt about whether she would join the meeting at all.

In a statement, her office says: "[Meloni] confirmed that Italy intends to continue working with European and Western partners and with the United States to define credible and effective security guarantees, reiterating that national participation in a possible military force on the ground is not envisaged."

The virtual summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has concluded, Downing Street says.

The prime minister is due to speak at a press conference shortly, where we'll find out more about what was discussed at the meeting.

We'll be bringing you further updates as soon as we have them.

This 'coalition of the willing' is still a work in progresspublished at 11:53 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March

11:53 GMT 15 March

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Don’t expect the announcement of any concrete plans for the Anglo-French led “coalition of the willing” today.

This is very much a work in progress. The concept has only been in circulation for a fortnight.

Its fundamental purpose - to help keep the peace in the event of a ceasefire in Ukraine - is clear, but there is no operational plan yet.

What Keir Starmer is trying to do is determine how broad the coalition will be and what assets - troops, equipment and money - countries will be willing to commit.

It’ll then be up to military chiefs, who are due to meet next week, to turn commitments into concrete plans.

In the midst of this blizzard of diplomacy, European officials are trying to persuade the Trump administration to offer the sort of critical US military support – a so-called “backstop” – without which any European-led peacekeeping effort would almost certainly founder.