Sir Keir Starmer hailed a “remarkable breakthrough” in talks between the US and Ukraine after the countries agreed a plan for a 30-day ceasefire.
The Prime Minister, who has led European efforts to build a peacekeeping mission in the event an agreement to end the war is reached, said the “ball is now in the Russian court”.
Donald Trump’s US administration also said on Tuesday it would immediately lift its suspension of military aid to Ukraine and its intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Sir Keir will convene a phone call of leaders from what he has dubbed the “coalition of the willing” on Saturday, when they will discuss peacekeeping efforts aimed at deterring Russia’s Vladimir Putin from launching a future attempt to conquer Ukraine if a deal to end the conflict is reached.
Following the talks between White House and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, Sir Keir said: “I warmly welcome the agreement today in Jeddah and congratulate President Trump and President Zelensky for this remarkable breakthrough.
“This is an important moment for peace in Ukraine and we now all need to redouble our efforts to get to a lasting and secure peace as soon as possible.”
He added: “As both American and Ukrainian delegations have said, the ball is now in the Russian court. Russia must now agree to a ceasefire and an end to the fighting too.”
I received a report from our delegation on their meeting with the American team in Saudi Arabia. The discussion lasted most of the day and was good and constructive—our teams were able to discuss many important details.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 11, 2025
Our position remains absolutely clear: Ukraine has been… pic.twitter.com/7EZXTVA52C
Leaders joining the Prime Minister in Saturday’s call are “ready to help bring an end to this war in a just and permanent way that allows Ukraine to enjoy its freedom,” Sir Keir added.
Ukrainian leader Mr Zelensky said his country is “ready to accept” the ceasefire proposal and challenged Russia to do the same in a post on social media platform X.
“Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal — we see it as a positive step and are ready to take it. Now, it is up to the United States to convince Russia to do the same. If Russia agrees, the ceasefire will take effect immediately,” he said.
Mr Zelensky added he was “grateful” to US president Mr Trump for the “constructive conversation” between the nations, despite tensions developing between the pair over recent weeks.
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