Is the 'coalition of the willing' going to work?

PM's proposal for UK/French-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine provokes 'hostility' in Moscow and 'derision' in Washington

Keir Starmer (left) and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (right) both looking serious
Keir Starmer met Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris yesterday to discuss a UK/French-led mission of multiple nations that would uphold a potential ceasefire with Russia
(Image credit: Mustafa Yalcin / Anadolu / Getty Images)

British military chiefs will head to Ukraine within days to advance plans for a peacekeeping force.

Keir Starmer has laid out plans for a "coalition of the willing": a UK/French-led mission of multiple nations that would uphold a potential ceasefire deal with Russia. That coalition is "ready to operationalise" a peacekeeping force if a deal is agreed, Starmer said yesterday, after hosting military officials in London all week.

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Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.