UK's Starmer says coalition to beef up Ukraine security in any peace deal

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stresses the United Kingdom's intention to provide "robust and credible" security guarantees to prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine again as Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to sign up to a US-brokered truce proposal as fighting rages on the ground. "We will build up Ukraine's own defences and armed forces and be ready to deploy as a'coalition of the willing' in the event of a peace deal to help secure Ukraine on the land, at sea and in the sky," Starmer said on Saturday after a virtual meeting with 25 European Union and other world leaders as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "We agreed military planners would convene again in the UK this week to progress practical plans for how our militaries can support Ukraine's future security," Starmer added. The meeting was held after Putin on Friday agreed in principle to an immediate 30-day ceasefire put forward by Washington and already accepted by Ukraine. But on Friday, Putin also said there were issues to work out.