European military chiefs to meet on peacekeeping force in Ukraine: British premier

By Asiye Latife Yilmaz and Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Military chiefs from Europe will meet in London on Thursday to discuss peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday.

The military chiefs will meet to put "strong and robust plans in place to swing behind a peace deal," Starmer told reporters in a news conference after a virtual summit with around 25 other leaders, the so-called "coalition of the willing." He hopes the group would come up with commitments of help for Ukraine ahead of any peace agreement with Russia.

He opened the summit by saying Putin "sooner or later" has to "come to the table” for the talks.

Criticizing Putin's stance on the peace in the three-year-long war, he said that while Kyiv had demonstrated that it was the "party of peace” by accepting a US-backed 30-day unconditional ceasefire, "Putin is the one trying to delay."

“If Putin is serious about peace, I think it’s very simple, he has to stop his barbaric attacks on Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire, and the world is watching,” he added.

Earlier this week, Putin said he is ready for a ceasefire in Ukraine, but any truce should address the root causes of the conflict.