The US and Europe must give Ukraine “hard power” to make the country “impenetrable” against a future Russian aggression if a peace deal is reached, leaders have been warned.
Any security guarantees must have “clear triggers for action” if Russia were to pose a renewed threat once any truce has been agreed, the European Movement UK group said.
Ukraine needs funding spanning several years, integrated air and missile defences, long-rang strike capabilities, ammunition, drones and training to turn the country into a “resilient ‘steel porcupine'”, the organisation warned.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned any Russia-Ukraine deal must come alongside security guarantees from the US and Europe to ensure peace is “truly durable”.
The Ukrainian leader had detailed discussions of what a security ‘backstop’, to protect Ukraine against future Russian aggression, would look like during talks with Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday.
The Government would not be drawn on the specifics of any hoped-for guarantee from the US, with UK officials remaining tight-lipped ahead of the peace talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska tomorrow.
But Starmer warned Putin must prove he is “serious” about reaching a peace deal when he meets with the US leader.
Keir Starmer talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in the garden of 10 Downing StreetStarmer, Zelensky and other European leaders have repeatedly stressed the need for commitments from the US to protect Ukraine in future – and hinted that Trump is supportive.
Previous reports have suggested Europe is seeking the promise of air support from the Americans in the event that any peacekeeping troops on the ground came under attack from Russian forces.
European leaders have also pushed for access to US intelligence and air surveillance.
And there have also been suggestions of an American military base in eastern Europe, which would act as a support for European troops on the frontline.
Trump has insisted he would not sign off on a peace deal without Zelensky’s involvement – and said a second meeting which would involve both the Ukrainian and Russian leaders would be “very, very important” if Friday’s talks are positive.
But he appeared to downplay his expectations of a successful outcome from his meeting with Putin, telling a radio interview on Thursday there was a “25 per cent chance” talks could stall.
Trump added that he did not expect to secure an “immediate ceasefire” in Ukraine – comments mirrored by US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who said finding a solution to the war would take time.
He reportedly told the US press “to achieve a peace, I think we all recognize that there’ll have to be some conversation about security guarantees. There’ll have to be some conversation about… territorial disputes and claims and what they’re fighting over.
“All these things will be part of a comprehensive thing. But I think the president’s hope is to achieve some stoppage of fighting so that those conversations can happen.”
European Movement UK – which pushes for European unity and has called for Ukraine to be included in any peace talks – told The i Paper any backstop must “ensure that military, economic, and intelligence support flows without delay or political hesitation” in the event that any deal is breached by Putin.
Simon Saunders, political affairs lead, said: “A guarantee must be underpinned by hard power that truly deters. That means multi-year, guaranteed funding; pre-positioned equipment; integrated air and missile defences; long-range strike capabilities; and the industrial capacity to sustain Ukraine’s defence for as long as it takes.
“That means turning Ukraine into a resilient ‘steel porcupine’ – armed with the ammunition, air-defence systems, drones, and training needed to make it impenetrable to any would-be invader. These commitments must be institutionalised or legally anchored, ensuring they are resilient to changes of government and immune to sudden political changes.”
Any guarantee must be “owned by Europe as much as by the United States” to ensure peace in Europe is not solely reliant on Washington,” he added.
A government spokesperson told The i Paper: “As we said alongside our European allies any peace deal needs robust and credible security guarantees to enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereign and territorial integrity.”
Downing Street warned a Russia-Ukraine deal to end the conflict is possible as long as Putin proves he is “serious about peace”.
On Wednesday, Zelensky told European leaders, and Trump, Putin was “bluffing” about wanting a peace deal.
And after a private breakfast with the Ukrainian leader in Downing Street, Starmer warned Putin that he must show world leaders he is ready to take serious steps towards agreeing a deal.
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“They agreed there had been a powerful sense of unity and a strong resolve to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Downing Street said.
“They then looked ahead to tomorrow’s talks between President Trump and President Putin in Alaska, which present a viable chance to make progress as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace.”
In a separate statement, Zelensky said there had been discussions about the security guarantees required to make any deal “truly durable if the United States succeeds in pressing Russia to stop the killing”.
“We also discussed in considerable detail the security guarantees that can make peace truly durable if the United States succeeds in pressing Russia to stop the killings and engage in genuine, substantive diplomacy,” the Ukrainian leader said on X.
He also urged the UK to join Nato’s initiative to provide weapons to Kyiv to bolster “security cooperation” in Europe.
It comes as The Times newspaper reported that Britain was planning to scale back its plans for a military peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
UK military chiefs are now said to be involved in talks about air reassurance over western Ukraine, training support to the Ukrainian military and the clearance of mines from the Black Sea.
The Ministry of Defence would not comment on the article, with sources pointing to Wednesday’s statement from the “coalition of the willing” nations.
“Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role, including through plans by those willing to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased,” the statement said.
The UK and France continue to lead work across the coalition – which involves around 30 nations who have pledged to support Ukraine in maintaining peace.
Planners are looking at work across, land, sea, air and regeneration to uphold our substantive military and financial support to Ukraine, the government said.
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