PM: Putin must not 'play games' over ceasefire

Keir Starmer has warned that Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed to "play games" with the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine, as he prepares to present proposals for a peace deal to a coalition of about 25 world leaders.

- Peter Walker , Pjotr Sauer , Shaun Walker

The prime minister will today host a meeting of the "coalition of the willing", a group of nations that have agreed to help keep the peace in Ukraine. He will seek to pile pressure on the Russian president to "finally come to the table" and "stop the barbaric attacks on Ukraine" after Kyiv agreed this week to an immediate 30-day ceasefire.

The European Commission, European nations, Nato, Canada, Ukraine, Australia and New Zealand are expected to take part in the virtual meeting, with updates expected on aid they could provide towards enforcing a peace deal.

The meeting comes after Putin praised Donald Trump for "doing everything" to improve relations between Moscow and Washington, following the US president's remark that his country had had "very good and productive discussions" with Putin in recent days.

Putin told a meeting of his security chiefs that improved relations with the US were now on the agenda. "We know that the new administration headed by President Trump is doing everything to restore at least something of what was basically destroyed by the previous US administration," he said.

Putin also said he would heed an appeal by Trump to save the lives of "thousands" of surrounded Ukrainian soldiers as long as they surrendered. However, no evidence has emerged to back up Putin and Trump's claims that there is a large-scale encirclement of Ukrainian troops and it was explicitly denied by military chiefs in Kyiv.

The exchange of warm words between Trump and Putin are likely to cause further alarm in Kyiv and European capitals, already spooked by signs of the new US administration cosying up to Moscow while exerting pressure on Ukraine.