Ukraine war latest: Europe developing 'coalition of the willing' to back ceasefire in Ukraine, Starmer says

Key developments on March 1 - 2:

• Europe developing 'coalition of the willing' to back ceasefire in Ukraine, Starmer says
• UK to provide $2.8 billion loan to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets
• Macron, Starmer working to pacify Zelensky-Trump relations 'because what is at stake is too important'
• U.K. to provide Ukraine with $2 billion for air defense
• Top US officials, lawmakers lambast Zelensky over White House clash with Trump
• Kremlin says perceived US foreign policy shift aligns with its 'vision'

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on March 2 that a number of European nations, including the U.K. and France, are developing a 'coalition of the willing' that will include "planes in the air and boots on the ground" in an effort to negotiate a successful ceasefire in Ukraine.

Starmer added that for any coalition to succeed, Europe must "have strong U.S. backing."

"(European allies) will go forth to develop a 'coalition of the willing' to defend a deal in Ukraine and to guarantee the peace," Starmer said during a press conference following a European leaders summit in London. "Not every nation will feel able to contribute but that can't mean we sit back. Instead those willing will intensify planning now with real urgency."

"The U.K is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air. Together with others, Europe must do the heavy lifting," Starmer said. "This is not a moment for more talk... If you want to preserve the peace, you have to defend the peace."

Starmer is hosting President Volodymyr Zelensky and other leaders in London to discuss how to strengthen support for Ukraine and ensure a just and lasting peace. The summit is even more crucial now after a fallout between the Ukrainian leader and U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House.

The U.K. and France have spearheaded the idea of deploying European peacekeepers in Ukraine to monitor a potential ceasefire. French President Emmanuel Macron and Starmer appealed to Trump to remain involved in maintaining a post-war order, but they failed to receive any concrete commitments as the new U.S. administration expects Europe to take responsibility for Ukraine's security.

Starmer said that he spoke to Trump on March 1 to deliver plans of the proposed coalition, and added that the proposed coalition will succeed on the basis that Europe work "with the U.S. and that it will have U.S. backing."

Starmer did not specify which other countries would participate in the coalition, but added that "a number of countries have indicated they want to be part of the plan we're developing."

"The purpose of today's meeting was to unite our partners around this effort. To strengthen Ukraine, and unsure a just and enduring peace for the good of all of us," Starmer added. "We have to learn from the mistakes of the past. We cannot accept a deal like Minsk which Russia can break with ease."

While most European leaders publicly voiced support for Zelensky after his spat with Trump, Starmer called both the Ukrainian and U.S. leaders in an attempt to bridge the rift. The prime minister reportedly aims to tell Zelensky that fixing relations with Trump would be necessary to ensure lasting peace.

The British prime minister and Macron, who visited Washington earlier this week, are seeking to mend the ties between Kyiv and the U.S. and present a united front on Ukraine and Russia.

European leaders had previously been sidelined from talks between the U.S. and Russia — concerned that neither the EU nor Kyiv will have a role in negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine.

UK to provide $2.8 billion loan to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets

The United Kingdom signed an agreement with Kyiv on March 1 to provide Ukraine with a loan worth 2.26 billion pounds ($2.84 billion) backed by frozen Russian assets.

The loan, which is part of the Group of Seven's (G7) Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) credit initiative, was signed amid Zelensky's visit to London to meet with Starmer.

"The United Kingdom continues to stand in defense of Ukraine. Today's agreement, which contributes to strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, confirms this," Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said in a statement.

The loan will go towards "purchasing defense equipment according to Ukraine's needs," the Finance Ministry said.

In October 2024, G7 countries came to an agreement that pledged to provide Ukraine with almost $50 billion loan.

The United States will contribute the bulk of the loan with $20 billion in assistance. The U.S. is closely followed by European Union countries, including France, Germany, and Italy, with a combined $19.4 billion. The remaining approximately $10 billion will be divvied up with Canada providing $3.7 billion, Japan providing $3.07 billion, and the U.K. providing $2.8 billion in loan funding.

Under the G7 ERA initiative, Ukraine had previously received $1 billion from the U.S. and $3.1 billion from the EU.

While Western countries have frozen $300 billion in Russian assets, they can only access the annual income generated by these funds, approximately $3.2 billion. These profits will back the $50-billion loan to Kyiv, while the vast majority of the assets are frozen in European countries.

In January, Zelensky and Starmer signed a 100-year partnership agreement during their meeting in Kyiv on Jan. 16. The wide-ranging deal encompasses cooperation in military, energy, scientific, cultural, economic, and other sectors.

Earlier in the day, Starmer, in line with European allies, reaffirmed his country's support for Ukraine and Zelensky.

"We stand with Ukraine for as long as it may take," Starmer told reporters at a press briefing alongside Zelensky, adding that Ukraine has "full backing across the United Kingdom."

Macron, Starmer working to pacify Zelensky-Trump relations 'because what is at stake is too important'

Starmer and Macron are working behind the scenes to pacify relations between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Volodymyr Zelensky following their public spat on Feb. 28.

Macron has spoken with both Zelensky and Trump privately, telling La Tribune Dimanche in an interview published on March 1 that he took the initiative to mediate because "what is at stake is too important."

"The manifest destiny of the Americans is to be on the side of the Ukrainians, I have no doubt about it. What the United States has done over the past three years is entirely consistent with its diplomatic and military tradition," Macron said.

"I want to make the Americans understand that disengagement from Ukraine is not in their interest."

Macron also cautioned against signing a peace deal without any security guarantees for Ukraine, adding that "geostrategic deterrence capacity with regard to Russia, China and others, would vanish the same day ."

If Russia's full-scale war of aggression is not stopped in Ukraine, it will "surely go to Moldova" and "perhaps beyond to Romania," the French president added.

Both the U.K. and France have supported the idea of deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of the country's security guarantees.

U.K. to provide Ukraine with $2 billion for air defense

Starmer announced on March 2 that the U.K. had reached an agreement with Kyiv to provide Ukraine with 1.6 billion pounds ($2 billion) for the purchase of 5,000 air defense missiles.

Starmer said that the deal would be conducted through export financing, with the missiles being produced in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

"This will be vital for protecting critical infrastructure now and strengthening Ukraine in securing the peace when it comes," Starmer said.

The deal, which Starmer announced during a press conference following the conclusion of a European leaders' summit in London, follows a separate commitment announced on March 1 that would provide a $2.8 billion loan backed by frozen Russian assets.

Ukraine has long been calling for allies to provide additional funding for Ukraine's air defense needs as Russia continues to pummel Ukrainian cities with missile and drone attacks.

Top US officials, lawmakers lambast Zelensky over White House clash with Trump

A number of U.S. officials and Republican lawmakers are continuing their criticism of Zelensky, with some suggesting that Zelensky may have to resign, following the president's heated exchange at the White House with Trump on Feb. 28.

During an interview with NBC News on March 2, House Speaker Mike Johnson took aim at Zelensky suggesting he "needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude or someone else needs to lead the country."

"What President Zelensky did in the White House was effectively a signal to us that he’s not ready for (peace talks), and I think that’s a great disappointment," Johnson said.

Johnson's remarks fall in line with Senator Lindsey Graham — formerly a staunch supporter of Ukraine — who said on Feb. 28 that Zelensky "is either going to have to fundamentally change or go."

Zelensky rebuked calls for his resignation from Republican lawmakers following the exchange, saying on Fox News that "only Ukrainians vote for their president."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has defended Trump since the incident, also criticized Zelensky in separate interview with ABC News on March 2, stating that the United States will "be ready to reengage when they’re ready to make peace." Rubio added that he has not spoken to Zelensky or members of the Ukrainian delegation since they were ordered to leave the White House.

Rubio's comments echo those of Trump who told reporters following the spat that the Ukrainian president was "looking for something that I'm not looking for" and again asserted that Zelenskyy wanted to "fight, fight, fight."

Zelensky pushed back on Trump's comments during his interview asserting that Ukraine is "ready for peace but we need to be in a good position."

"We want peace... that's why I visited President Trump," Zelensky added.

White House national security advisor Mike Waltz also criticized Zelensky on March 2, stating that "We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians and end this war."

When asked if Trump wanted Zelensky to resign, Waltz declined to directly answer the question, responding that "If it becomes apparent that President Zelenskyy’s either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in his country, then I think we have a real issue on our hands."

Waltz, in a comment to far-right media outlet Breitbart News on March 1, compared Zelensky to "an ex-girlfriend that wants to argue everything that you said."

Kremlin says perceived US foreign policy shift aligns with its 'vision'

The Kremlin has praised what it perceives as the U.S.'s foreign policy shift, claiming on March 2 that it "aligns" with its "vision" after Trump's public dispute with Zelensky.

"The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in comments published by state-controlled media.

"There is a long way to go, because there is huge damage to the whole complex of bilateral relations. But if the political will of the two leaders, President (Vladimir) Putin and President Trump, is maintained, this path can be quite quick and successful."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also praised Trump, calling him a "pragmatist" and adding that "that's what makes him interesting," state-controlled media reported on March 2.

Lavrov claimed that the Trump administration's so-called common sense approach dictates "stepping aside" from aiding Ukraine.

Trump, echoing Kremlin rhetoric on the war in Ukraine, said at the end of February the country should "forget" about joining NATO, which the country sees as a security guarantee against a future Russian invasion. Russia has repeatedly presented NATO expansion as a "justification" for the war.

Overlooking the challenges of holding elections in a war zone, Trump on Feb. 19 called Zelensky a "dictator"—a remark he later claimed he did not remember making.

The U.S. also voted alongside Russia on Feb. 24 against a U.N. resolution that condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.