PM warns Putin not to breach any peace deal

Vladimir Putin will face "severe consequences" if he breaches a peace deal with Ukraine, Keir Starmer has warned as western military planners begin drawing up plans to enforce any agreement between the two countries.

- Kiran Stacey

The prime minister issued his warning to the Russian president yesterday after meeting officials from 31 countries at the Northwood military base outside London, where they started sketching out which western forces could be deployed to protect Ukraine in the future.

Starmer insisted Putin would not be allowed to veto how Kyiv decided to defend itself, after the Russian president demanded Ukraine's demilitarisation as part of any peace agreement.

However, the prime minister did not reiterate his promise to put boots on the ground, instead saying allied forces would be deployed to support Ukrainian troops, including by sea and air, rather than replacing them.

"The point of the security arrangements is to make it clear to Russia there will be severe consequences if they are to breach any deal," he told reporters after the meeting.

"This is why it will require a US component: because it needs to be clear to Putin that there will be severe consequences if he breaches the lines. So the purpose of this plan is to ensure that we maintain the peace - as it is in Estonia and all the other countries in which we're deployed."