London, 13 August 2025 (PA Media/dpa/MIA) – US President Donald Trump’s interventions over the Ukraine war have created a “viable” chance of a ceasefire but the UK stands ready to “increase pressure” on Russia if necessary, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said.

In a call with allies on Wednesday, Starmer said the meeting between the US president and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is “hugely important” with the prospect of a truce in sight.

Co-chairing a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” – a European-led effort to prepare a peacekeeping force to monitor any potential ceasefire in Ukraine – Starmer said: “This meeting on Friday that President Trump is attending is hugely important.

“As I’ve said firstly to President Trump for the three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on, we haven’t got anywhere near a prospect of actually a viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire.

“And now we have that chance, because of the work of the president.”