UK to host new Ukraine peacekeeping talks

The UK is hosting a closed gathering connected Thursday of elder subject officers from the "coalition of the willing" arsenic they gully up plans for a projected peacekeeping unit for Ukraine.

More than 20 countries are thought to beryllium involved.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to be connected Thursday day aft archetypal visiting Barrow, wherever helium is owed to laic the keel of 1 of Britain's adjacent procreation of nuclear-armed submarines.

Plans for a Western-led peacekeeping unit for Ukraine are said to beryllium moving to an operational phase.

Senior subject officers from nations that marque up the "coalition of the willing", led by Britain and France, are owed to sermon however this would enactment successful signifier erstwhile they stitchery astatine the UK's Permanent Joint Headquarters successful Northwood.

But determination stay immoderate large obstacles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow volition not tolerate the beingness of immoderate Nato subordinate troops successful Ukraine, careless of their role.

The US is besides proving reluctant to supply the indispensable aerial screen that prospective members accidental they need.

Sir Keir is expected to be portion of the gathering aft archetypal visiting Barrow wherever helium volition laic the keel of HMS Dreadnought, 1 of the adjacent procreation of ballistic atomic submarines.

On his sojourn to the town, Sir Keir volition accidental Barrow is simply a "blueprint" for however defence spending tin payment a community.

He is owed to denote that the King has agreed to assistance Barrow the rubric of "Royal" successful designation of its publication to nationalist security.

Earlier helium visited the unit of 1 of Britain's atomic submarines, HMS Vanguard, arsenic it returned to Scotland aft patrolling the waters of the northbound Atlantic.

The premier curate told reporters the Kremlin respected the UK's atomic arsenal due to the fact that "we've got our ain autarkic deterrent and we're committed to Nato".

"What is evidently important is they admit that it is what it is which is simply a credible capability," helium said. "And that it astir surely is."

Defence Secretary John Healey, who joined the premier curate connected the visit, stressed the government's "unshakeable" committedness to the UK's atomic deterrent, which helium called "the eventual guarantor of our nationalist information and the information of our Nato allies".