“can’t be allowed” – why the United Kingdom says that 18 to 20 countries could join the Ukraine alliance.

Officials in the UK say that about 20 countries want to join a “coalition of the willing” to help Ukraine.

Most of the countries are from Europe and the Commonwealth. It is not expected that all of them will send troops, but some could offer other kinds of help.

The plan was made by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at this weekend’s meeting of 18 European and Canadian leaders. It was led by the UK and France and would work to keep any calm in Russia’s war on Ukraine in place.

Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said that such a move “can’t be allowed” because it would mean that NATO countries are “directly, officially, and unveiledly involved in the war against Russia.”

In an effort to get President Zelensky to the negotiating table, the US cut off military aid and information sharing with Ukraine. This comes as Kyiv tries to fix its relationship with Washington.

When Sir Keir visited a security company in Merseyside, he said it would be a “big mistake” to think that “all we’ve got to do is wait for a deal now” between Russia and Ukraine. Trump says he is trying to help make that happen.

“If there is a deal—and we don’t know there will be—that we defend the deal,” the PM said. This meant making sure Ukraine was “in the strongest position.”

But the PM made it clear that the defence plan should be made “with the United States.” “Being able to work with the United States and our European partners that has kept the peace for 80 years now,” he said.

It is thought that officials got together on Tuesday to talk about how to make sure there would be safety after any peace deal.

Officials from Britain said it was still “early days,” but they saw the interest in joining a “coalition of the willing” as a “highly positive step.”

“Very clear that it is for Europe and for the UK to step up,” said the Prime Minister’s Deputy Official Spokesman. “I think you are seeing evidence of that consistently.”

Russia has turned down a one-month ceasefire suggested by the UK and France that would cover “in the air, at sea, and on energy infrastructure.” This was backed by a group of western countries.

On Sunday, the UK announced a £1.6bn deal to sell missiles to Ukraine. They have now made another deal with the Anglo-American security company Anduril to give Ukraine more advanced attack drones.

Also on Thursday, John Healey, who is the UK’s defence secretary, met with Pete Hegseth, who is the US’s defence secretary, in Washington, DC.

Healey said at the meeting that the US had asked Europe to spend more on defence, and the UK had agreed.

“We have, we are and we will further,” he stated.

Hegseth said that the UK was a “critical” partner and that leading NATO from Europe was “the future of defence on the continent.”

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) earlier announced another security deal. It is worth about £30 million and is backed by the International Fund for Ukraine.

Kyiv will get the cutting-edge Altius 600m and 700m systems as part of the deal. These systems are meant to keep an eye on an area before attacking targets that come into it. This will help Ukraine fight Russian aggression in the Black Sea.

People are worried that the US decision to stop sharing data with Ukraine will make it harder for Ukraine to use western weapons and keep it from getting early warnings about threats.

“Plain and present danger”
Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, held an emergency defence summit in Brussels as the EU struggles with the idea that Trump might cut back on security aid for Europe.

By proposing a defence package worth €800 billion (£670 billion), von der Leyen called it a “watershed moment” and said, “Europe faces a clear and present danger. As we put Ukraine in a position to protect itself and push for a lasting and just peace, Europe needs to be able to protect itself.”

Leaders of the European Union met Zelensky. He thanked them for their help and said, “We are very grateful that we are not alone.” We feel what you’re saying, not just words.

Turkey said Thursday that it could help keep the peace, and Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheal Martin said that Irish troops could help keep the peace but would not be used as a “deterrent force.”

Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, has also said that he is “open” to sending troops to Ukraine to keep the peace.

Russia turned down calls for a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine on Thursday. Maria Zakharova, a spokesman for Russia’s foreign ministry, told reporters, “Firm agreements on a final settlement are needed.” Without all of that, any kind of break is not okay.”