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U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the “coalition of the
willing” plan, led by Britain and France, is moving into an
“operational phase.” But it’s unclear how many countries are
willing to send troops, or whether there will be any ceasefire
to protect.
Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited
ceasefire after President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’
leaders this week, though it remained to be seen when it might
take effect and what possible targets would be off limits to
attack.
The tentative deal to partially rein in the three-year war came
after Russian President Vladimir Putin rebuffed Trump’s push for
a full 30-day ceasefire. The difficulty in getting the
combatants to agree not to target one another’s energy
infrastructure highlights the challenges Trump will face in
trying to fulfill his campaign pledge to quickly end to the war.
Despite the negotiations, hundreds of drone attacks were
launched overnight by both sides, causing several injuries and
damage to buildings.
Ukraine said Russia had launched 171 long-range drones and it
shot down 75 while another 63 decoy drones disappeared from
radar after likely being jammed. Russia said it destroyed 132
Ukrainian drones in six Russian regions and the annexed Crimea.
If peace comes to Ukraine, the size of any force that might help
enforce it is vague. Officials have cited figures of between
10,000 and 30,000 troops.
Only Britain and France have said they are willing to send
troops, though countries including Australia, Canada, France and
Finland say they are open to being involved in some way.
Around 30 leaders were involved in a video meeting on Saturday
including Macron, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leaders from Australia,
Canada and New Zealand and officials from NATO and the European
Union.
Russia has said it will not accept any troops from NATO
countries being based on Ukrainian soil. And Trump has given no
sign the U.S. will guarantee reserve firepower in case of any
breaches of a truce. Starmer says the plan won’t work without
that U.S. “backstop.”
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Lawless reported from London.
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