LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday said military chiefs would meet in the UK on Thursday to discuss plans for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine to protect any eventual ceasefire.

“We agreed to accelerate our practical work to support a potential deal, so we will now move into an operational phase,“ Starmer said after hosting a virtual meeting of some 25 fellow leaders.

In a statement released by Starmer’s Downing Street office, he added: “We agreed that now the ball was in Russia’s court.”

“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.”

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